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In the Loop 15 rating

Armando Iannucci returns to the world of his hit show The Thick of It as Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) and Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) deal with a Middle-East crisis of their own making.

Comedy 2009 106 mins

Director: Armando Iannucci

CC

Overview

Armando Iannucci’s BBC show The Thick of It is revived for this hilarious big-screen adaptation. When British minister Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) accidentally admits that intervention in the Middle East is “unforeseeable” – when in fact both the US and UK are keen on war – what ensues is a parade of hysterical misunderstandings and races against time involving an ensemble cast featuring Peter Capaldi (returning as Malcolm Tucker), Anna Chlumsky, and the late James Gandolfini. Iannucci captures the hypocrisy and insanity of contemporary politics with biting precision.

Iannucci’s satire was a big hit in both the UK and across the pond, nabbing a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2009 Academy Awards. The notice was entirely warranted given the hilariously insulting, fired-off dialogue throughout the film, mostly delivered with wicked focus by Capaldi in a terrifically salty turn as Tucker.

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