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In the Loop

  • 20092009
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
58K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
In the Loop (2009)
This is the Dr. Strangelove-inspired theatrical trailer for In the Loop.
Play trailer2:22
4 Videos
25 Photos
  • Comedy

A political satire about a group of skeptical American and British operatives attempting to prevent a war between two countries.A political satire about a group of skeptical American and British operatives attempting to prevent a war between two countries.A political satire about a group of skeptical American and British operatives attempting to prevent a war between two countries.

IMDb RATING
7.4/10
58K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Armando Iannucci
  • Writers
    • Jesse Armstrong(screenplay)
    • Simon Blackwell(screenplay)
    • Armando Iannucci(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Tom Hollander
    • Peter Capaldi
    • James Gandolfini
Top credits
  • Director
    • Armando Iannucci
  • Writers
    • Jesse Armstrong(screenplay)
    • Simon Blackwell(screenplay)
    • Armando Iannucci(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Tom Hollander
    • Peter Capaldi
    • James Gandolfini
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 168User reviews
    • 190Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 16 wins & 43 nominations total

    Videos4

    In the Loop -- Trailer #2 (U.S.)
    Trailer 2:22
    In the Loop -- Trailer #2 (U.S.)
    In the Loop
    Trailer 1:51
    In the Loop
    In The Loop
    Clip 1:46
    In The Loop
    In The Loop
    Interview 6:57
    In The Loop

    Photos25

    Armando Iannucci in In the Loop (2009)
    Peter Capaldi in In the Loop (2009)
    Anna Chlumsky in In the Loop (2009)
    James Gandolfini and Peter Capaldi in In the Loop (2009)
    Tom Hollander in In the Loop (2009)
    Peter Capaldi and Chris Addison in In the Loop (2009)
    Steve Coogan and Joanna Scanlan in In the Loop (2009)
    James Gandolfini and Mimi Kennedy in In the Loop (2009)
    James Gandolfini and Peter Capaldi in In the Loop (2009)
    Peter Capaldi in In the Loop (2009)
    Anna Chlumsky in In the Loop (2009)
    Tom Hollander in In the Loop (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Hollander
    Tom Hollander
    • Simon Fosteras Simon Foster
    Peter Capaldi
    Peter Capaldi
    • Malcolm Tuckeras Malcolm Tucker
    James Gandolfini
    James Gandolfini
    • Lt. Gen. George Milleras Lt. Gen. George Miller
    Harry Hadden-Paton
    Harry Hadden-Paton
    • Civil Servantas Civil Servant
    Samantha Harrington
    • Malcolm's Secretaryas Malcolm's Secretary
    Gina McKee
    Gina McKee
    • Judy Molloyas Judy Molloy
    Olivia Poulet
    Olivia Poulet
    • Suzyas Suzy
    Chris Addison
    Chris Addison
    • Toby Wrightas Toby Wright
    James Smith
    James Smith
    • Michael Rodgersas Michael Rodgers
    Zach Woods
    Zach Woods
    • Chadas Chad
    Mimi Kennedy
    Mimi Kennedy
    • Karen Clarkas Karen Clark
    Anna Chlumsky
    Anna Chlumsky
    • Liza Weldas Liza Weld
    Enzo Cilenti
    Enzo Cilenti
    • Bob Adrianoas Bob Adriano
    Lucinda Raikes
    Lucinda Raikes
    • Reporteras Reporter
    James Doherty
    James Doherty
    • Reporteras Reporter
    David Rasche
    David Rasche
    • Linton Barwickas Linton Barwick
    Reid Sasser
    • Airport Security Manas Airport Security Man
    Johnny Pemberton
    Johnny Pemberton
    • A.J. Brownas A.J. Brown
    • Director
      • Armando Iannucci
    • Writers
      • Jesse Armstrong(screenplay)
      • Simon Blackwell(screenplay)
      • Armando Iannucci(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Out the Window

    Storyline

    Edit
    The US President and UK Prime Minister fancy a war. But not everyone agrees that war is a good thing. The US General Miller doesn't think so and neither does the British Secretary of State for International Development, Simon Foster. But, after Simon accidentally backs military action on TV, he suddenly has a lot of friends in Washington, DC. If Simon can get in with the right DC people, if his entourage of one can sleep with the right intern, and if they can both stop the Prime Minister's chief spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker rigging the vote at the UN, they can halt the war. If they don't... well, they can always sack their Director of Communications Judy, who they never liked anyway and who's back home dealing with voters with blocked drains and a man who's angry about a collapsing wall. —Loop Film Productions Ltd/AT
    • politics
    • politician
    • satire
    • smashing fax machine
    • committee
    • 45 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The fate of the world is on the line.
    • Genre
      • Comedy
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Armando Iannucci is well known for asking his actors to improvise their scenes around the script, and editing the best takes together. In one such improvised scene, James Gandolfini became angry enough to make Peter Capaldi drop out of character (he thought Gandolfini would "physically pummel me") and he asked the writers to provide him with a better come back.
    • Goofs
      British outlets are seen in both the Washington hotel and United Nations scenes.
    • Quotes

      Malcolm Tucker: Y'know, I've come across a lot of psychos, but none as fucking boring as you. You are a real boring fuck. Sorry, sorry, I know you disapprove of swearing so I'll sort that out. You are a boring F, star, star, CUNT!

    • Crazy credits
      The film's final credits roll over a long shot of the main office. At the very end, Malcolm Tucker comes out, looks at the TV and asks, "Who let this woman out with her fucking hair like this?! On national television?! Looks like she stuck her finger in a fucking electrical socket..." before walking away.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Ugly Truth/G-Force/Orphan (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Violin Concerto in E Major BWV 1042 - I. Allegro
      Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performed by Kolja Blacher (violin) with the Kölner Kammerorchester (as Cologne Chamber Orchestra)

      Conducted by Helmut Müller-Brühl

      Licensed courtesy of Naxos Rights International Ltd.

    User reviews168

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Now THAT'S great writing
    One of the wittiest and most sophisticated movie satires of recent vintage, "In the Loop" provides us with a hilarious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the ugly, messy world of international diplomacy. The mad run-up to the Iraq war serves as the obvious blueprint for the fictional - yet far from make-believe - tale the writers have come up with here. We begin in London where news has just leaked out that the British and Americans are planning a military invasion of an unspecified country in the Middle East. When the bumbling Minister for International Development, Simon Foster, accidentally goes off script by stating in an interview that such a war is "unforeseeable," the Prime Minister's staff goes into immediate damage control mode, hustling Foster off to Washington D.C. to see if they can get him in on the pre-war planning and negotiations. From that point on, Foster becomes a bone-of-contention between the pro-war and anti-war factions battling it out for preeminence.

    The source for "In the Loop" is a popular British TV series entitled "The Thick of It," with many of the actors from that program appearing in the movie (though we're told that most of the performers play different roles in the film from the ones they play on the show). As if that weren't confusing enough, the script by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche spends virtually no time on introductions or back story of any kind, leaving those of us who are unfamiliar with the context feeling just a wee bit lost and disoriented at the beginning. Indeed, we are plunged so immediately into the swirl of activity surrounding the minister's diplomatic faux pas that we learn early on that we had better start paying some serious attention to what's happening on screen or risk going under in pretty short order. I say this not as a criticism of the writing because, frankly, this is one of the few comic scripts I've come across in quite some time that actually treats its audience like thinking adults, that doesn't find it necessary to talk down to us in order to appeal to the lowest-common-denominator viewer. The one-liners come fast and furious in this film and woe to anyone not willing to make the effort to keep up with them. The good news is that the writing is so sharp and acerbic that we really don't mind putting that extra added effort into our viewing. One simply cannot be a passive onlooker while watching "In the Loop" and still reap the rewards of the experience.

    With the kind of understated irony that distinguishes the best of British humor, the densely-plotted, character-rich screenplay aims its comedic sights at all the would-be power players, petty backbiters, toadying assistants, long-suffering aides, incompetent bureaucrats, draconian bosses, mealy-mouthed office-holders and enraged constituents that make up the world of high-level diplomacy and politics. The movie also has some fun with England's perceived role as ugly stepsister (or lapdog, if you prefer) to the bully-boy United States in matters of world affairs.

    Director Iannucci gets nothing less than a sterling performance from each and every member of his large and gifted cast, be they American (with James Gandolfini the most recognizable face in that crowd) or British. However, extra special note should be taken of Tom Hollander, Chris Addison, Mimi Kennedy and, above all, Peter Capaldi, who tears up the screen as the deliciously ill-tempered and foul-mouthed enforcer for the British Prime Minister.

    The truths this allegorical fable reveals about how easy it is to cherry pick evidence to lead a country into war and how hard it is for individuals of goodwill to stand up for what they know is right are so dead-on in their accuracy and so universal in their scope that they leave the mind reeling from the impact - and the ribcage aching from all the laughter.
    helpful•12
    2
    • Buddy-51
    • Jan 25, 2010

    FAQ1

    • Is "In the Loop" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 4, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Australia)
      • Official site (France)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • У петлі
    • Filming locations
      • Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, South Bank, Lambeth, London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • BBC Films
      • UK Film Council
      • Aramid Entertainment Fund
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £612,650 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,388,804
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $191,866
      • Jul 26, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,787,487
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Post your questions for Armando Iannucci
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    Feb 15The Guardian - TV News
    ‘Succession’s Jesse Armstrong On The Dangers Of Creating Unsavoury Characters: “You Have To Be Careful” – Lff
    ‘Succession’s Jesse Armstrong On The Dangers Of Creating Unsavoury Characters: “You Have To Be Careful” – Lff
    Oct 16Deadline Film + TV

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