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In the Loop (film)
Encyclopedia
In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci
. It is based on the BBC Television
series The Thick of It
satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq. The film was nominated for the 2010
Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).
In the film, the President of the United States
and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
are looking to launch a war in the Middle East
. The plot follows government officials and advisors in their behind-the-scenes efforts either to promote the war or prevent it. It stars Tom Hollander
, Mimi Kennedy
, James Gandolfini
, Chris Addison
, Peter Capaldi
, Anna Chlumsky
, Gina McKee
, Steve Coogan
and David Rasche
. The film is a collaboration between BBC Films
and the UK Film Council
.
Filming took place between May 2008 and December 2008, and a world premiere was held at the Sundance Film Festival
on 22 January 2009. The European gala premiere screening was held in the independent Glasgow Film Theatre
as the opening of the 2009 Glasgow Film Festival
on 12 February 2009, attended by Iannucci and members of the cast. The film was released on 17 April 2009 in the United Kingdom.
's PM
programme, Minister for International Development
Simon Foster (Tom Hollander
) accidentally states that a proposed war in the Middle East is "unforeseeable". He is told off for not following "the line" by the Prime Minister's enforcer
Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi
) and when caught by cameras says he may need to 'climb the mountain of conflict'. The statement coincides with a visit by senior U.S. State Department officials who jump upon the phrase and begin to use Simon, and his hapless new aide Toby (Chris Addison
), as pawns in an international game who use his second contradicting statement.
The film's plot is a satirical version of events surrounding the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq
, with the Tucker character presumed to have been based on Alastair Campbell
, Tony Blair
's Director of Communications and Strategy at the time.
, James Smith
, Joanna Scanlan
, Alex MacQueen
, Tom Hollander
, Olivia Poulet
, Samantha Harrington, Eve Matheson
, and Will Smith
. The only actual returning characters are Malcolm Tucker and Jamie MacDonald, with a brief cameo by Tucker's secretary Sam Cassidy. The remaining Thick of It cast members play differently named characters with different jobs but they are essentially the same characters portrayed on the series. Previous Iannucci collaborator Steve Coogan
also appears.
television series. Co-writer Jesse Armstrong explained:
Noting that The Thick of It had been inspired by the Blair government's attacks on the BBC in the wake of the Iraq war, the magazine Cinema Scope described In The Loop as "The Thick of Its "origin story," a retelling of the chain of events that inspired Iannucci to devise the series."
Iannucci has stated: "We don't go up to White House level, we deal mainly with state department underlings, the kind of people that actually make decisions with enormous political consequences."
The film was shot on location in London
and Washington, D.C.
During a set visit, Time Out London noted the style of filming is highly similar to The Thick of It:
Iannucci himself mentioned progress on the film in several columns for The Observer
newspaper.
One scene was filmed at the DC nightclub Black Cat; the band performing is Cannabis Corpse
. The American political journalist and blogger Spencer Ackerman
was one of the film's consultants.
was particularly complimentary, giving the film five stars, stating "It's hard to settle on a standout element because it's all so outstanding, from the performances to the one-liners to the plot." Screen International
's David D'Arcy was complimentary, but noted that the release of the film may be poorly timed, given the new presidency
of Barack Obama
, stating "its exuberant, boundless cynicism will test the demand for political satire in an Obama-infatuated America." Michael Phillips
of the Chicago Tribune
put the film as #9 on his top ten list of 2009.
The film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
reports that 94% of the reviews they tallied for the film were positive, based on 162 reviews.
The film was picked up by IFC Films
for distribution in the US, and began screening on 24 July 2009. In The Loop was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2010.
Armando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....
. It is based on the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
series The Thick of It
The Thick of It
The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...
satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq. The film was nominated for the 2010
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).
In the film, the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
are looking to launch a war in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. The plot follows government officials and advisors in their behind-the-scenes efforts either to promote the war or prevent it. It stars Tom Hollander
Tom Hollander
Thomas Anthony "Tom" Hollander is a British actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean, In the Loop, Valkyrie and Hanna.-Early life:Tom Hollander was born in Bristol and raised in Oxford, Oxfordshire, the son...
, Mimi Kennedy
Mimi Kennedy
Mimi Kennedy is an American actress, author and activist.-Early life:Kennedy was born Mary Claire Kennedy in Rochester, New York, the daughter of Nancy Helen and Daniel Gerald Kennedy. She got her start in theater with the Rochester Community Players, appearing in Agatha Christie's "Spider Web"...
, James Gandolfini
James Gandolfini
James J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...
, Chris Addison
Chris Addison
Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
, Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film...
, Anna Chlumsky
Anna Chlumsky
Anna Chlumsky is an American actress best known for playing Vada Sultenfuss in the 1991 movie My Girl and the 1994 sequel My Girl 2. Her father, Frank Chlumsky, is an instructor in the culinary program at Kendall College in Chicago...
, Gina McKee
Gina McKee
Georgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill ....
, Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
and David Rasche
David Rasche
-Early life and career:Rasche was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a minister and farmer. Rasche started in theatre, but also has appeared on numerous movies and television series. He became a member of the Chicago Second City, after John Belushi moved on to Saturday Night Live...
. The film is a collaboration between BBC Films
BBC Films
BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including An Education, StreetDance 3D, Fish Tank, Stage Beauty, A Cock and Bull Story, Nativity! and Match Point.It aims to make strong British films with...
and the UK Film Council
UK Film Council
The UK Film Council was set up in 2000 by the Labour Government as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee governed by a board of 15 directors and was funded through sources including the...
.
Filming took place between May 2008 and December 2008, and a world premiere was held at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
on 22 January 2009. The European gala premiere screening was held in the independent Glasgow Film Theatre
Glasgow Film Theatre
The Glasgow Film Theatre or GFT is an independent cinema in Rose Street, , Glasgow. GFT is a registered charity...
as the opening of the 2009 Glasgow Film Festival
Glasgow Film Festival
Glasgow Film Festival is an annual film festival based in Glasgow, Scotland, started in 2005.-2010:2010's festival took place between 18-28th February. The opening gala featured Jean-Pierre Jeunet's latest film, Micmacs with the director there to present the film. Other guests included Peter...
on 12 February 2009, attended by Iannucci and members of the cast. The film was released on 17 April 2009 in the United Kingdom.
Plot
During an interview on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's PM
PM (Radio 4)
PM, sometimes referred to as the PM programme to avoid ambiguity, is BBC Radio 4's long-running early evening news and current affairs programme.-Broadcast times:...
programme, Minister for International Development
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
Simon Foster (Tom Hollander
Tom Hollander
Thomas Anthony "Tom" Hollander is a British actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean, In the Loop, Valkyrie and Hanna.-Early life:Tom Hollander was born in Bristol and raised in Oxford, Oxfordshire, the son...
) accidentally states that a proposed war in the Middle East is "unforeseeable". He is told off for not following "the line" by the Prime Minister's enforcer
Spin (public relations)
In public relations, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure...
Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film...
) and when caught by cameras says he may need to 'climb the mountain of conflict'. The statement coincides with a visit by senior U.S. State Department officials who jump upon the phrase and begin to use Simon, and his hapless new aide Toby (Chris Addison
Chris Addison
Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
), as pawns in an international game who use his second contradicting statement.
The film's plot is a satirical version of events surrounding the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, with the Tucker character presumed to have been based on Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell
Alastair John Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known for his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair between 1997 and 2003, having first started working for Blair in 1994...
, Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's Director of Communications and Strategy at the time.
Cast
Several actors from The Thick of It appear in the film, including Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison, Paul HigginsPaul Higgins (actor)
Paul Higgins is a Scottish actor. He has appeared onstage in Paul, Black Watch and in the film Complicity....
, James Smith
James Smith (actor)
James Smith is an English actor well known for his part in the BBC's The Thick of It as senior special adviser Glenn Cullen and as Michael Rodgers, Director of Diplomacy at the Foreign Office in In the Loop, the film spin off of The Thick of It....
, Joanna Scanlan
Joanna Scanlan
Joanna Scanlan is a Welsh actress and television writer, best known for her roles in various British comedy series, such as The Thick of It, Doctors and Nurses, Getting On and Little Britain.-Getting On:...
, Alex MacQueen
Alex MacQueen
Alexander Tulloch MacQueen is an English actor. He has appeared on television, film and radio in the UK in productions such as Holby City, Hut 33, The Thick of It, and Keeping Mum....
, Tom Hollander
Tom Hollander
Thomas Anthony "Tom" Hollander is a British actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean, In the Loop, Valkyrie and Hanna.-Early life:Tom Hollander was born in Bristol and raised in Oxford, Oxfordshire, the son...
, Olivia Poulet
Olivia Poulet
Olivia Poulet is an English actress. After studying drama at Manchester University, she has had roles on stage and in television and film. Her most recent productions include Day of the Flowers, Sherlock, Dappers, The Thick of It, Reggie Perrin and Outnumbered. She recently appeared in the feature...
, Samantha Harrington, Eve Matheson
Eve Matheson
Eve Matheson is a British actress known for her roles as Zoe Angell in May to December and Becky Sharp in the BBC adaptation of the novel Vanity Fair.-Personal life:...
, and Will Smith
Will Smith (comedian)
Will Smith is a British comedian, actor and writer. He was born and grew up in Jersey and is known for his love and encyclopaedic knowledge of Bergerac, as well as his posh boy persona. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and Charterhouse School. He now lives in London...
. The only actual returning characters are Malcolm Tucker and Jamie MacDonald, with a brief cameo by Tucker's secretary Sam Cassidy. The remaining Thick of It cast members play differently named characters with different jobs but they are essentially the same characters portrayed on the series. Previous Iannucci collaborator Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
also appears.
Returning cast
- Peter CapaldiPeter CapaldiPeter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film...
as Malcolm Tucker, Director of Communications for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Chris AddisonChris AddisonChris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
as Toby Wright, Special AdvisorSpecial advisers in the United KingdomA special adviser works in a supporting role to the British government. With media, political or policy expertise, their duty is to assist and advise government ministers.-Role:...
to the Secretary of State for International Development - Tom HollanderTom HollanderThomas Anthony "Tom" Hollander is a British actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean, In the Loop, Valkyrie and Hanna.-Early life:Tom Hollander was born in Bristol and raised in Oxford, Oxfordshire, the son...
as Simon Foster MP, Secretary of State for International DevelopmentSecretary of State for International DevelopmentIn the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for the Department for International Development and for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world... - Paul HigginsPaul Higgins (actor)Paul Higgins is a Scottish actor. He has appeared onstage in Paul, Black Watch and in the film Complicity....
as Jamie MacDonald, Senior Press Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister - Alex MacQueenAlex MacQueenAlexander Tulloch MacQueen is an English actor. He has appeared on television, film and radio in the UK in productions such as Holby City, Hut 33, The Thick of It, and Keeping Mum....
as Sir Jonathan Tutt, British Representative to the United Nations - James SmithJames Smith (actor)James Smith is an English actor well known for his part in the BBC's The Thick of It as senior special adviser Glenn Cullen and as Michael Rodgers, Director of Diplomacy at the Foreign Office in In the Loop, the film spin off of The Thick of It....
as Michael Rodgers, Director of Diplomacy, Foreign Office - Olivia PouletOlivia PouletOlivia Poulet is an English actress. After studying drama at Manchester University, she has had roles on stage and in television and film. Her most recent productions include Day of the Flowers, Sherlock, Dappers, The Thick of It, Reggie Perrin and Outnumbered. She recently appeared in the feature...
as Suzy, Foreign Office - Joanna ScanlanJoanna ScanlanJoanna Scanlan is a Welsh actress and television writer, best known for her roles in various British comedy series, such as The Thick of It, Doctors and Nurses, Getting On and Little Britain.-Getting On:...
as Roz, Electoral Secretary for Simon Foster MP - Samantha Harrington as Sam Cassidy, Personal Assistant to the Director of Communications
- Eve MathesonEve MathesonEve Matheson is a British actress known for her roles as Zoe Angell in May to December and Becky Sharp in the BBC adaptation of the novel Vanity Fair.-Personal life:...
as the New Secretary of State for International Development - Will SmithWill Smith (comedian)Will Smith is a British comedian, actor and writer. He was born and grew up in Jersey and is known for his love and encyclopaedic knowledge of Bergerac, as well as his posh boy persona. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and Charterhouse School. He now lives in London...
as Dan - Lucinda RaikesLucinda RaikesLucinda Raikes is a British actress, most noted for playing Karen Ball in the sitcom Green Wing and Angela Heaney in The Thick of It and its spin off film In the Loop. She has also appeared in Sensitive Skin, Extras, Casanova and 15 Storeys High. She regularly appears in theatrical...
as Reporter
Other cast
- Gina McKeeGina McKeeGeorgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill ....
as Judy Molloy, Director of Communications for the Department of International Development - Mimi KennedyMimi KennedyMimi Kennedy is an American actress, author and activist.-Early life:Kennedy was born Mary Claire Kennedy in Rochester, New York, the daughter of Nancy Helen and Daniel Gerald Kennedy. She got her start in theater with the Rochester Community Players, appearing in Agatha Christie's "Spider Web"...
as Karen Clark, US Assistant Secretary of StateSecretary of StateSecretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
for Diplomacy - Anna ChlumskyAnna ChlumskyAnna Chlumsky is an American actress best known for playing Vada Sultenfuss in the 1991 movie My Girl and the 1994 sequel My Girl 2. Her father, Frank Chlumsky, is an instructor in the culinary program at Kendall College in Chicago...
as Liza Weld - James GandolfiniJames GandolfiniJames J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...
as Lt. Gen. Miller, Senior Military Assistant, The PentagonThe PentagonThe Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect... - David RascheDavid Rasche-Early life and career:Rasche was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a minister and farmer. Rasche started in theatre, but also has appeared on numerous movies and television series. He became a member of the Chicago Second City, after John Belushi moved on to Saturday Night Live...
as Linton Barwick, US Assistant Secretary of State for Policy - Enzo CilentiEnzo CilentiEnzo Cilenti is an English actor.He was born in Bradford to Italian parents. He is married to the actress Sienna Guillory, with whom he has appeared in several films.-Partial filmography:* Wonderland...
as Bob Adriano - Steve CooganSteve CooganStephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
as Paul Michaelson - Zach WoodsZach WoodsZach Woods is an American actor and comedian. From 2010-11, he portrayed Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom The Office. He was promoted to a series regular beginning in Season 7....
as Chad
Writing
The writing of In The Loop followed the methods developed during The Thick of ItThe Thick of It
The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...
television series. Co-writer Jesse Armstrong explained:
Noting that The Thick of It had been inspired by the Blair government's attacks on the BBC in the wake of the Iraq war, the magazine Cinema Scope described In The Loop as "The Thick of Its "origin story," a retelling of the chain of events that inspired Iannucci to devise the series."
Iannucci has stated: "We don't go up to White House level, we deal mainly with state department underlings, the kind of people that actually make decisions with enormous political consequences."
Production
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
During a set visit, Time Out London noted the style of filming is highly similar to The Thick of It:
Iannucci himself mentioned progress on the film in several columns for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper.
One scene was filmed at the DC nightclub Black Cat; the band performing is Cannabis Corpse
Cannabis Corpse
Cannabis Corpse is a marijuana-themed death metal band. Their name originates from a parody of the name for veteran death metal band Cannibal Corpse. Cannabis Corpse formed in Richmond, Virginia in 2006 under the Forcefield label. Since then, Cannabis Corpse has released three LPs and one EP...
. The American political journalist and blogger Spencer Ackerman
Spencer Ackerman
Spencer Ackerman is an American national security reporter and blogger. He began his career at The New Republic and currently writes for Wired magazine's national security blog, ....
was one of the film's consultants.
Reception
Critical reception to the film's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival was positive. Damon Wise, writing in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
was particularly complimentary, giving the film five stars, stating "It's hard to settle on a standout element because it's all so outstanding, from the performances to the one-liners to the plot." Screen International
Screen International
Screen International is a multimedia film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by EMAP, a British b2b media company.The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global movie business...
's David D'Arcy was complimentary, but noted that the release of the film may be poorly timed, given the new presidency
Presidency of Barack Obama
The Presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST on January 20, 2009 when he became the 44th President of the United States. Obama was a United States Senator from Illinois at the time of his victory over Arizona Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential election...
of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, stating "its exuberant, boundless cynicism will test the demand for political satire in an Obama-infatuated America." Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips (critic)
Michael Phillips is a film critic for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Previously he was the drama critic of the Tribune; the Los Angeles Times; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; the San Diego Union-Tribune; and the Dallas Times Herald....
of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
put the film as #9 on his top ten list of 2009.
The film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 94% of the reviews they tallied for the film were positive, based on 162 reviews.
The film was picked up by IFC Films
IFC Films
IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York, owned by AMC Networks. It distributes independent films and documentaries under the IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. It operates the IFC Center....
for distribution in the US, and began screening on 24 July 2009. In The Loop was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2010.
External links
- In the Loop: Oscar-Nominated Comedy Satirizes Lead-Up to U.S.-U.K. Invasion of Iraq - video by Democracy now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...