Gareth's Top Ten Comedies of the 21st Century (So Far)
#2 In the Loop (2009)
Undoubtedly comedy of the year, maybe even film of the year, Armando Iannuccis satirical masterpiece In the Loop was for all intents and purposes a bigger and bolder film adaptation of the greatest British sitcom of recent years The Thick of It. Only retaining a couple of characters from the TV show, luckily one of those was the vitriolic master of spin Malcolm Tucker aka The Enforcer the man who can swear like a dirty coal miner with an English Language degree. In the Loop saw the action move across the Atlantic from Whitehall to Washington and New York as Tom Hollanders inept MP inadvertently kicks off an international incident and becomes an unwitting pawn in something much bigger than him. Almost universally praised on its criminally low-profile and limited release, In the Loop is a cynical joy, with the greatest collection of one-liners ever gathered together in one film. It is testament to the quality of the writing that they were able to attract someone of James Gandolfinis stature to appear, and his scene with Tucker is nothing short of epic. I know Matt is touting Peter Capaldi as a potential OSCAR nominee next year for his role as Malcolm Tucker, and as unlikely as that may seem it would be very richly deserved.