REVIEW: In the Loop

Plot summary for In the Loop from comingsoon.net:

"In the Loop" is a smart comedy with razor-sharp, truly laugh-out-loud dialogue that pokes fun at the absurdity and ineptitude of our highest leaders. With everyone looking out for number one, and the fate of the free world at stake (but apparently incidental), the hilarious ensemble cast of characters bumbles its way through Machiavellian political dealings, across continents, and toward comic resolutions that are unforeseeable.

Well, I really hope government interactions as portrayed in In the Loop don't really work like this. It's was hilarous, yet as the story progressed, serious and depressing moments slowly started building up, and by the end, the importance of these politician's actions became very depressing. An interesting element of the story is that it focused on the government middlemen, people who have "Assistant" in front of their name. Every character had his or her own agenda, and backstabbing and tush-kissing were rampant in this realm of the political sphere.

In the Loop is a zippy political comedy, with so much back-and-forth dialogue the script is probably as thick as War and Peace. This film deserves its adapted screenplay Oscar nomination, if only for its creative use of swearing and swear word combinations. Before In the Loop, I never knew you could use the F-word as a descriptive adjective both before and after the same noun in the same sentence. The banter is pretty non-stop and complete concentration is needed to keep up. We actually resorted to sub-titles about 10 minutes in; with the non-stop verbals and the thick English accent we were starting to lose the main ideas.

Most of this creativity stems from the character of Malcolm Tucker, an angry Scot whose job is fixing other government employee's goof-ups, which is why I imagine he's so angry. In this film, his job is to correct the vocal trainwrecks of unimportant minister Simon Foster, who's "war is unforseeable" quip, quickly followed by "climb the mountain of conflict" apparently doesn't toe the party line.

There is no sympathetic character in the film, everyone is watching out for number one. Interestingly, there is also no true villian. While a couple of individuals are more reprehensible, there isn't a single character who stands up for what's right. For example, the assistant secretary of state character state, Karen Clark, resigns due to "her principles"regarding the war, but this idea was conceived as the best move for her political career.

While its never said as much, the film is obviously commenting on the politics leading up to the Iraq war. The film was balanced in that everyone, regardless of whether they wanted war or not, still cared more about their own careers than the actual consequences of war or not going to war, yet there was still an obvious bias in the movie towards not going to war. The one or two more serious moments where characters discussed the consequences of war were all done from the anti-war side, with no explanations given to why other characters wanted war in the middle east. The audience is just left to assume that it must be for reasons of wealth and political advancement. While having an agenda in a film is perfectly fine, and one of antiwar is quite appropriate right now as the Iraq war is winding down, its a bit unoriginal at this point. Yay, another movie against the Iraq war and the politicians who started - how exciting! (please note sarcasm).

That aside, still a very enjoyable, hilarious, yet serious movie that we recommend seeing.

Wade: 4/5 stars
Kinsey: 4/5 stars

Growing Up in the Midwest, Watching Westerns

Today happens to be my Grandpa's birthday. When I think of him, its hard not to remember watching our favorite movies together while I was growing up. There were two movie types that were overly prevalent in my youth: Disney cartoons and Westerns. The Disney cartoons are a given; what kid doesn't love Aladdin? But the Westerns, I think, have a lot to do with growing up on a farm in southwest Nebraska. Now to put this to rest at the beginning, this wasn't a stereotypical "farm." We didn't ride horses or raise pigs. I didn't wear a cowboy hat or boots (but my Dad and Grandpa did). But there was still a connection to the Old West, with the wide open spaces, working the land, and machismo, which is why I had an enjoyment for Westerns as a kid.

Recently, I've gained more appreciation for Westerns as true classic films. Unforgiven; Rio Bravo; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; all classic films. But as a kid, I just thought they were a good time. And I've also come to appreciate the occasional modern rediscovering of the Western. There was a mini-renaissance a couple years ago with The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, There Will Be Blood, and No Country for Old Men. But what hasn't been reinvented and what seems to have totally fallen out of the spotlight, is the light-hearted comedic Western. It is this brand of Western that I really remember enjoying.

The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968)

This was my favorite movie as a child for a long time. In my book, there's nothing funnier than Don Knotts, and this movie takes his meek bumbling persona out West as a fresh-faced (not literally, of course) dental school graduate, looking to spread oral hygiene. Along the way he gets into his fair share of scraps, but is constantly bailed out by his wife Penny, who is a pardoned outlaw helping to break up a gun smuggling ring. There is a ton of great physical comedy in this film. And physical comedy coming from Don Knotts is hilarious because the poor guy looks so terrified all the time. The following video clip has the unforgettable theme song and a hilarious dental examination scene.

Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)

Another Western comedy that I watched again and again with my Grandpa. Isn't James Garner a slick operator? In this movie, The Great Escape, The Rockford Files and Maverick TV shows, he's always the guy with the plan. Would it be sacrilege to say he rivals Steve McQueen for on-screen cool? Maybe. In this movie, Garner is a small town sheriff who uses wit and ingenuity to overcome the local baddies. It's a "fish out of water" story in that Garner is the one smart guy in a town full of idiots. There was a sequel or companion film made called Support Your Local Gunfighter that was decent but not nearly as clever as this one.

Maverick (1994)

This is what I remember as the most recent attempt at a comedic Western. And it's, of course, a TV adaptation. Be that as it may, this film has one of Mel Gibson's best comedic performances as the suave gambler and Jodie Foster playing against type as a conniving Southern belle, and, of course, James Garner. Fifteen years since the last decent Western comedy. This movie was very funny and did pretty well at the box office if I remember correctly. It makes you wonder why they don't make movies like these anymore. Oh, well.

I still have fond memories of watching all these movies on VHS with my Grandpa. We'd sit with our stash of candy recently acquired from cleaning out the candy aisle at the local grocery, he'd repeat the witty phrases right after they happened in the movie, and then, inevitably, fall asleep halfway through the movie (don't tell him that though; he was just "resting his eyes.") So, on my Grandpa's birthday, I'll dedicate this post about our favorite films to him.