'In the Loop': Satire and the Iraq War
Is this new comedy starring James Gandolfini the next 'Dr. Strangelove'?
Armando Iannucci's debut film In the Loop "reminds us that loose lips don't just sink ships—they also launch them," said Melissa Anderson in The Village Voice. This "thinly veiled spoof of Anglo-American diplomatic blundering and maneuvering in the lead-up to the second Iraq war" starring Steve Coogan and James Gandolfini is "an acidly funny satire about politics and pomposity." It's also somewhat of a "horror" movie, "reminding us of the all-too-real consequences of distorted, manipulated, and vitiated language." (watch the trailer for In the Loop)
In the Loop is a "slick and merciless political satire" that could be considered a "Dr. Strangelove for the Iraq War," said Peter Keough in The Boston Phoenix. "It blows away the recent satiric competition with its sharp, sardonic screenplay and uncompromising cynicism." But the "snark percolates non-stop," which "can get a little cloying," and it's too bad this movie wasn't released six years ago, when it "might have drawn more blood."
"For the makers of In the Loop," said Anthony Lane in The New Yorker, "everyone in politics is either a beast or a dithering dolt—there is no basis for public service other than the foaming rage for power." And the film's "itchy camerawork"—which may have worked well for the BBC series The Thick of It, from which this movie was expanded—is "migraine"-inducing.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published