Armando Iannucci‘s new political satire In the Loop has been getting a lot of love in the press since it opened in New York and L.A. We won’t get the film in these parts till Aug. 14, which gives you plenty of time to do your homework by boning up on the source material, the BBC show The Thick of It, which the Alamo Village will be screening in August.

Set in the made-up Ministry of Social Affairs and Citizenry, The Thick of It brilliantly depicts life in and around Downing St. as one spectacular cock up after another. The beleaguered Minister Hugh Abbot (Chris Langham) is forever sticking his foot in his mouth, while the PM’s vicious cleanup man Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) tries to pry it out and Abbot’s shambling team of aides and speechwriters jams it right back in. Sorta like The West Wing, if you replaced those beautiful dreamers with absolute dunderheads and let the four-letter-words fly. Good stuff, that.

Go here for info on the free screenings at Alamo Village on Aug. 3, Aug. 10, and Aug. 13.

And check out the trailer for In the Loop below.

Youtube video

This article appears in July 24 • 2009.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...