In the Loop

In the Loop (2009) is Armando Iannucci's political comedy you can watch online on iFILM. A British minister blurts out on the radio that war in the Middle East is "unforeseeable." That one careless word is enough to set off a diplomatic disaster on both sides of the Atlantic.

From there, no armies decide anything. Anxious people in offices do. The savagely foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) drags his bewildered minister (Tom Hollander) between London and Washington, swearing in ways that deserve their own dictionary. Across the ocean, US officials, a weary general played by James Gandolfini, and a young aide shuffle secret papers, rig committees, and haggle over a war like it's a parking spot.

The film spun off from the TV series The Thick of It but stands fully on its own: handheld camera, overlapping dialogue, not one scene without an insult. Its screenplay landed an Oscar nomination, and Tucker's tirades have been quoted ever since. Stream In the Loop (2009) online on iFILM.