In the Loop (2009)—British

If you like British humor of the Monty Python sort, and are cynical about politics, this caustic, over-the-top satire may be your ticket. It comes at a price, though, with unrelenting vulgarity from start to finish, much of which, I must say, is hilarious. When I watched the movie, people in the theater were laughing aloud; so was I. Amidst international fears about the possibility of an unspecified war, Britain's minister for International Development Simon Foster lets slip an ambiguous affirmation that "war is unforeseeable." His communication chief, Malcolm Tucker, goes ballistic. The crisis requires extensive negotiations with fellow buffoons, spinners, and careerist diplomats in Washington, including teenage-looking interns, minutes of meetings that must be "corrected," and talk of a "war committee." All of this, mind you, without any regard at all for citizens who'll suffer the consequences of their vanity and folly. The message of the film is that, regardless of parties or administrations in both Britain and the US, government is badly broken and deeply dysfunctional. But you don't need that serious message to watch a really funny film.