In the Loop (2009)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Armando Iannucci

Writers:

Jesse Armstrong (screenplay), Simon Blackwell (screenplay),

Stars:

Peter Capaldi, Harry Hadden-Paton, Tom Hollander

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 16 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Capaldi	...	Malcolm Tucker
Harry Hadden-Paton	...	Civil Servant
Samantha Harrington	...	Malcolm's Secretary
Gina McKee	...	Judy Molloy
Tom Hollander	...	Simon Foster
Olivia Poulet	...	Suzy
Chris Addison	...	Toby Wright
James Smith	...	Michael Rodgers
Zach Woods	...	Chad
Mimi Kennedy	...	Karen Clark
Anna Chlumsky	...	Liza Weld
Enzo Cilenti	...	Bob Adriano
Lucinda Raikes	...	Reporter
James Doherty	...	Reporter
David Rasche	...	Linton Barwick

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

vote | committee | middle east | washington d.c. | lieutenant general | 

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Taglines:

The fate of the world is on the line.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [au] Official site [fr]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 April 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

In the loop

Filming Locations:

Inglis Barracks, Mill Hill, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£612,650 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$191,866 (USA) (24 July 2009)

Gross:

$2,384,044 (USA) (16 October 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, UK Film Council, Aramid Entertainment Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite being based on Armando Iannucci's TV show _"The Thick Of It" (2005)_ , and sharing the hand-held camera movements and pervasive bad language of it, only three of the characters in the film are the same as in the TV show: Malcolm Tucker, Jamie McDonald, and Sam, Malcolm's PA.

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Goofs

While Malcolm Tucker might consider "climb the mountain of conflict" would be something a "Nazi Julie Andrews" might say, it was Marjorie McKay (ghosting for Peggy Wood, who played the Mother Abbess) and not Julie Andrews who sang "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" in The Sound of Music.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Malcolm Tucker: Good morning, my little chicks and cocks.

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Connections

References The Omen (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Prelude no. 1 in C major from The Well-tempered Clavier"
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

It's a long time since I've seen a money this funny...

This is not a movie for those looking for the cosy delusional homilies and self congratulatory tributes to politicians of something like Yes Minister, it's vulgar, raw, enticing. An excellent comedy that never lets a moment pass without something to amuse, whilst being painfully poignant at the same time. In the build up to war, the UK government conspires to provide made up intelligence to the US to justify an act of war... sound familiar? Really, really, really funny and those who claim Yes Minister and it's ilk are superior, or more representative of what goes on in the 'corridors of power', aren't living in the real world. Critics who compare this to 'The Thick of It': remember, if this movie includes the same characters it's obviously set before the events of 'in the loop', hence we might expect them to be more energetic, rawer and ... well swear a lot. I'm not sure the pacing of TToI would have worked in movie form and it's nice to see that the writers were able to translate the basic idea to a successful movie, unlike so many TV adaptations which have fallen flat on their faces.