Bunched Undies:

Under normal circumstances, I would review this film, but because NetfIix decided to remove friend features, I am no longer going to give them free content. Since NetfIix seems to place no value on its most active members, I'm no longer going to be an active member. The new design that they have implemented for movie detail pages removed friends' ratings, top 10 lists and the ability to send movie notes. If NetfIix decides to reverse its stance on this issue, I'll start writing reviews again. Until then, I've decided to move my reviews elsewhere. If you are reading this, please call NetfIix and ask them to give us community features back. I apologize for this non-review.

Jeremy Thomas:

Spun off of the BBC series "The Thick of It," this political satire takes aim at the days leading up to the Iraqi war with hilarious effect. Instead of focusing on the figureheads at the top of the spectrum and refusing to name the specific country being invaded, the story instead focuses on the bureaucrats and government advisors in their efforts behind the curtain to push or prevent war. The script by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche certainly deserves its nomination for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, featuring some of the funniest dialogue of the year. Incendiary documents are given catchy acronyms that sound ridiculous and yet are delivered with perfect pitch by a talented cadre of American and British actors. David Rasche and Mimi Kennedy are wonderful as the sniping American leaders of the underlings, while Peter Capaldi handles the prolifically cursing Malcolm Tucker with such a fire that it's impossible not to laugh and yet be a little intimidated. Tom Hollander is wonderful as the spineless, in-over-his-head Minister for International Development Simon Foster and the rest of the supporting cast including James Gandolfini, Anna Chlumsky, Chris Addison and Paul Higgins are wonderful. A subplot involving Steve Coogan as a constituent of Hollander's drags down but plays importantly into the end. While it may not have gotten the attention of some higher-profile comedies, this is certainly one of the funniest films of 2009.

robowriter:

In the Loop is a hilariously understated British-American farce -- an expanding whopper of a tale about how one diplomatic slip of the tongue grows, through innuendo and ambition, to inexorably develop its own center of gravity and draw political players into its illusory orbit until it implodes as the US and UK jointly declare war on some hapless nation. The British press secretary (Peter Capaldi) is a hoot as a seething Scottish loose cannon with his abusive language -- he's almost Shakespearean in the imagination and literacy of his invectives and bodily threats, even as he's racing from rumored meeting to alleged cabal while barking into his cell phone, trying to effect damage control. An American diplomatic official (Mimi Kennedy) pulls every string she can unravel, in cahoots with her inventive intern (Anna Chlumsky), to build the rumor she unwittingly created but is determined to track down. Junior civil servants make things happen too through their liaisons both formal and informal. A Rumsfeldian hawk (David Rasche) spreads a wonderfully smooth icing on the cake and an opportunistic Army general (James Gandolfini) equivocates until he comes down on the only sensible side. In the Loop has a fast-paced, intelligent, and ribald script that will hold your attention like few other movies -- provided you can follow Britspeak without subtitles. I saw it in the theater and I highly recommend In the Loop to anyone who loves politics, satire, or farce done bitingly and brilliantly. 4.5 stars. (12-18-09 updated 12-31-09)

ColumboFan:

I'm amazed at the number of poor member reviews here. I thought this was the best comedy of 2009, maybe the best movie period, and I laughed myself silly watching it. It's a fiercely smart political satire of Brit-Yank relations that obviously mirrors the runup to the Iraq War. It's kind of like "Wag the Dog" only much faster paced and.. well, you know.. good. The big joke here is that in all the back room dealing, no one does the right thing - hawks or doves - they just spend all their energy trying to cover their own butts. It makes some salient points about the governments on both sides of the pond being absurdly dysfunctional, and that war is treated more as a career move by the players than anything else. But in service of that theme (which sounds kind of high-brow) are a rapid fire string of insults, ruthless back stabbing and some jaw droppingly creative uses of profanity. (Ex. A British aide speaking about Washington: "You know they're all kids in Washington? It's like Bugsy Malone, but with real guns." That's one of the few PRINTABLE examples.) It's hilarious but I should probably be careful in recommending it. If naughty words make your cheeks flush, you better skip this. There are a LOT of dirty words and it revels in the scatalogical. I laughed, you may not. Then you'll write a review decrying the bawdy language that only 2 out of 37 people will find helpful. Let's avoid all that, eh? If you like British humor, George Carlin or maybe even "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" I think you'll like it. But what the hell do I know? Everyone seems to be giving it one star. (Note: I watched this with the subtitles on. The accents can get a little thick and I didn't want to miss a word. Especially the witty stuff about a lubricated horse co... um.. well.. nevermind.)

Harry Badface:

In the Loop presents a world of politics where morals only are for the weak and convictions only hold you back in your career aspirations. No one save the truly vicious walk away unscathed at the end of the film, and even they have to dig deep to make their marks among their peers. At heart, I found this film to be akin to a classic screwball comedy. The key players drop the ball at every turn and are only saved my 11th hour deviousness or lose out to it when they don¿t see it coming. The film¿s satire is biting, brilliant and scathingly hilarious. One of the funniest films I have seen in a long time, both the script and acting are top notch. Stand outs were James Gandolfini as a general who wants peace (watch for the scene in a child¿s bedroom alone), David Rasche as a warhawk who will listen to no reason why war cannot be achieved and Peter Capaldi as the ¿PM¿s Karl Rove¿ who prods war along behind the scenes. 5 stars, recommended for Christopher Guest fans, and lovers of classic screwball comedy.

moviesorfilm:

This British and American colaborative political satire was based on a BBC TV series called "The Thick Of It" and stars much of the cast of that show. Reviewers have compared this to The Office and it did have that dry kind of darkly humorous edge. While I did enjoy the whole show, I was disappointed toward the end of the story. In my opinion, it's open style ending just felt unfinished and it bothered me. The acting was very good and it was nice seeing James Gandolfini and Mimi Kennedy as a General and an Assistant Secretary respectively. If you are expecting a laugh out loud comedy, this isn't it. I think much of the political humor was lost in the translation from the dry wit of British humor to American sensibilities. This was an enjoyable watch that just left me wanting more--but worth the rental. Recommended if you are fans of this type of dark political satire.

Netflowers:

Monty Python on Steroids. Funny, quick, cerebral, British Humor. Caustic over the top cynical hard look at politics of going to war in the Middle East. This is one of the sharpest and funniest movies since Dr. Stragelove. If you love fantastic dialogue you will love this movie. This is a movie that will keep your interest from the first frame to the very last. this is a 5.0 STAR Movie., IMHO.

efs120:

Biting, on the mark, hysterical, foul mouthed, original satire that hits every mark it shoots at. In the Loop is my pick for most underrated movie of 2009. It got an Adapted Screenplay nomination, but Peter Capaldi deserved to be recognized for his classic performance as Malcolm Tucker, the feared hatchet man for the Prime Minister. It is not an easy task to make all that cursing seem natural and not gratuitous, but he pulls it off, and will even give you some new lines to use in everyday conversation. Even when he is off screen, his dynamic presence is still felt. Everyone in this movie is great, especially Tom Hollander as the hapless MP who inadvertently gets in over his head, but refuses to listen to Malcolm's advice. You should plan to watch it at least twice because there are so many lines that you miss the first time viewing it. I love that it doesn't go with a standard build to punchlines. Instead, almost everything is very funny and it demands repeat viewings to appreciate.

miweinst:

This comedy really surprised me. I was expecting tons of dry british humor... and while that is a large part of the movie, a lot of the humor is rant based and obscenity lased. This movie really is packed with laughs from beginning to end, and while the story is somewhat dull (mostly on purpose) you wont really care.

Supercords:

Foul-mouthed fun. I?m sure I only caught half the jokes, as dialogue is delivered rapid-fire; auction style. And it?s the dialogue that matters here. The movie centers around US and UK politicians linguistically lambasting each other, often with four letter words?the kind your grandma doesn?t use. If you have sensitive ears, leave town now. Rating: C+

mabell3368:

It never happened this way, but the scary thought is that it certainly might have! This viewer has never seen such a convergence of totally unlikable people in one film, several of whom could have easily been arrested for assault and battery for the hate-filled speech that spewed out, and yet found the film so bloody entertaining! The only truly likable characters were Liza (Anna Chlumsky), the Under-Secretary of State's assistant, and Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), the low level British government minister whose diarrhea of the mouth continually got him in hot water with the boss. The rest make Prince Machiavelli look like a rank amateur when it comes to political manipulation. The cast was brilliant. The dialog filled the air with blue smoke, but was so incredibly sharp and witty that one soon became inured to the profanity. The scenery provided a recognizable backdrop for the action. All the pieces were here for a satirical masterpiece. But, the highest accolades in this viewer's pantheon only go to those he would watch again, or would purchase. This film fails to rise to that level. There was far too much over-the-top abuse of underlings by those who perceive themselves powerful.

HisDudeness:

I loved In the Loop. It's part The Office, part Dr. Strangelove, part Burn After Reading. It still feels totally unique, though, thanks to the British wit and the great performances. It ended a little softly for me, but I guess that was the point. "Well, I guess that's that," as Mr. Fuller says.

BlueVoid:

[3.5]A British political satire that is all about the dialog. The plot is a bit rambling and never really made an impact, but the witty exchanges and wonderful character acting, particularly by Pete Capaldi, make the movie. In the Loop certainly doesn't shy away from working blue, it is a symphony of profanity that elevates the witty banter. The movie is wall to wall one liners which certainly make it worth the watch.

KC 650222:

A hilarious, cynical and extremely profane version of The West Wing meets The Office.

raghus:

My first impression was it was good. Then I wondered if this story really merited a movie when all it was, was a somewhat longer, edgier and more profanity-filled episode of "Yes, Minister" or "Yes, Prime Minister". If you like those shows you'll almost certainly like "In The Loop". 3.5 stars

Angry_Robot:

Very dense -- an intense political satire clearly aimed at insiders and frustrating for the rest of us. I found the plot difficult to follow, but the dialogue is sharp and the performances entertaining.

late nights:

You have to love those Brits!! Great satire of the political arena. No real substance, just a laugh out loud, silly movie. I imagine that the inner office stuff probably do go on in Britain. We here in America are too politically correct to speak our minds or swear out loud. Easy film to watch (put the sub-titles on if you can't understand the accent)! No thinking required.

Heather & Paul:

The acerbic and witty dialogue of Peter Capaldi is the only redeeming thing I found in the whole sleep. SO feel asleep toward the end.

Peter Olafson:

Director Iannucci evidently perceives international politics as the art of perpetually trying to sound more clever than the next guy. There may be something to that, but here it amounts to a kind of glossy, sharp-edged nothingness. It's not astute, it's not clever and it's certainly not funny. It's just busy -- characters talking endlessly at each other, usually with nasty under/overtones. Critically, the movie never expands to fill its space: It's just an endless loop of unpleasantness.