There’s a reason that British Comedy tends to be referred to as a genre all its own. It’s not just comedy that happens to come from the UK; it’s a whole different mindset, culture, understanding, respect, like how Chocolate Sandwich Cremes are not the same thing as Oreos (and fuck you if you think so). They may look the same and have the same goals, but if you approach them with the same expectations, you’re going to wind up disappointed.
I approached In The Loop with the expectation that it was going to be dry, somewhat humorous by my “snooty American pig” standards, and really shine on cleverness and intelligence. Fortunately, that’s what I got and then some as there were actually moments I could hear myself laughing, and was surprised that this movie wasn’t just clever, but it was cunning, sharp, beautifully orchestrated with a plot that was so complex in nature, but surprisingly simple to follow.
It did try for more cheap silly-word-induced laughs that I would have liked but it’s always been the way of the British Comedy to act more on what is silly than what is funny; that’s really the big difference between our two cultures. We find humor in a dumbass college kid who sniffs a pair of panties to help him find his dream girl whereas in the UK it would only generate a laugh if there was conversation held on how they smell like poo…because poo is a silly, silly word, but we’re all Monty Python fans here so I’m sure we all understand this concept as we have all thought of what we would do if we were a part of the Ministry of Silly Walks (not to be confused with the Ministry of Funny Walks which is more offensive because everyone is mimicking people with Cerebral Palsy and various birth defects, which us American pigs would still laugh at when it’s really just plain sad).
But, I digress. In The Loop follows the story of Simon Foster, the British Minister for International Development who has a problem with cracking under pressure and losing all sense of tact when a microphone is shoved in his face. Despite personally taking the anti-war position, he stupidly tells interviewers that the U.S. war in the Middle East is “unforeseeable,” which sets the spin doctors and bureaucrats of both sides of both governments into motion to manipulate Foster and his department into supporting their position. As Foster and his band of misfits (and by this I mean “misfits in comparison to really slimy, sneaky masterminds of the game of politics”) try to recant their statement and get out of this hole they’ve dug for themselves, they inadvertently put themselves in the position to make or break the vote to go to war as their good little ideas regularly get blown out of proportion or find some way to benefit the wrong people.
In The Loop is a quirky, witty, wonderfully thought-out chess match of satire and bureaucracy played out in front of us with a blitz of crafty dialogue and mind-bending situations that wrap together and wrap up with a satisfaction that is hard to get from other British comedies because usually your attention is diverted trying to find out of that statement made 10 minutes ago was funny or not. This wasn’t as dry as I’m used to and for that, it was a very pleasant surprise and a smooth, entertaining watch from start to finish. It took a little time build up steam, but as soon as it did, I was hooked.
In a move that surprises even myself, I give In The Loop a strong 8 dustbusters out of 10 as this has kind of revitalized my interest in British comedy and really want to see more of what director Armando Iannucci has unleashed onto the world.
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