IN THE LOOP loft

“IN THE LOOP” WILL MAKE YOU (FEEL) SMARTER

As a brilliant anti-war statement played out as satire, “In the Loop” is right up there with “Dr. Strangelove.” In some sense “In the Loop” is more dangerous because you’ll have to keep reminding yourself the picture is meant to be satire.

In fact, just plan right now to buy a copy when this brilliantly written British pic comes out on DVD. The jokes-per-minute ratio is so high, and all the lines so well crafted, it will take watching several times through to catch all the punch lines.

Armando Iannucci is the director and co-writer, assisted by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell and Tony Roche. They are the same team responsible for the BBC series “The Thick of It.”

While I’m not an expert on Brit-coms, “In the Loop” is several levels of cleverness above the ones I’ve caught on PBS. The comedy is so smart, you will feel smarter just by watching.

Sort of like intelligence by osmosis.

The set-up is to portray life near the top of the British government’s most important decisions. Elected officials and government appointees are flaunting their selfish desires while planning elaborate power trips to subjugate their enemies on the home front. It’s a game of chest-puffing one-upmanship that requires not just fancy footwork in elegant shoes but also a continuous mining of the English language for the most creative insults and imaginative profanities.

Winning these petty rivalries is far more important than making the world safe for democracy, but there is the more important matter of a greater government vanity. While the U.S. military does some serious saber rattling over the Middle East, the British are determined to take an independent stance of their own devising. At the same time, these proud Brits don’t want to get caught alone out in the open like a deer in the headlights.

The point man for all this inventive invective is rail-thin Peter Capaldi as Malcom, the prime minister’s communications chief. He goes into bile-driven hyper drive when a cautions member of Parliament accidentally implies war might be unforeseeable. In this pressure-cooker of political striving, any mention of war sends tremors across the delicate landscape of international diplomacy that could send careers toppling like a house of well-groomed cards.

Sarcasm becomes a popular weapon of self-defense. Desperation becomes an acceptable explanation of the most arrogant conniving. Rudeness is considered an instant asset as the halls of power become the playing field for a new kind of game that favors talkative people who thrive on conflict.

Nicely enough, since all these over-educated twits have excellent diction, we Yanks can actually understand all the different British accents. The pace is quick but the words are clear. Though that does make me wonder what, exactly, is a “gentleman fluffer.”

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