Weekly round-up

Foul-mouthed politicians, a deposed Queen,
ridiculous CGI and schmaltzy sweetness

EXPLETIVE EXCELLENCE: In the Loop

by MATTHEW HAYS,
MALCOLM FRASER,
MARK SLUTSKY
and CHRISTOPHER SYKES

In the Loop
A frantically, joyously foul-mouthed and frenetic political comedy from director Armando Iannucci, creator of U.K. series The Thick of It, which shares some characters and performers with this Atlantic-hopping ensemble piece. Set during the build-up to an unnamed (but hardly difficult to identify) war in the Middle East initiated by the American and British governments, In the Loop follows the behind-the-scenes wrangling, manoeuvring and cursing that ensue following an on-camera verbal gaffe uttered by British MP Tom Hollander (Simon Foster).

The movie darts back and forth between both governments, though the President and Prime Minister are never referred to by name. You do get a lot of James Gandolfini, as a U.S. General opposed to the war, and veritable mouthfuls of Peter Capaldi (Malcolm Tucker of Local Hero), who spouts some of the best obscenities seen onscreen in years.

It’s politics as all-too-believable farce, shot in an Office-style, low-key documentary approach. It’s great to see a comedy entirely driven by dialogue, even if the film’s pace gets a bit repetitive and numbing by the end. That said, the performances are great, the actors clearly finding the wordy, hilarious script an exhilarating challenge. A very funny and brazenly cynical film. (MS)

ROYALLY STRANGE: The Queen & I

The Queen and I
This is a truly strange first-person documentary. Filmmaker Nahid Persson Sarvestani begins by telling us her sad and haunting story. A 17-year-old at the time of the Iranian revolution, she and her young friends protested the Shah in the streets and welcomed the idea of a new, more open government.

Of course, it rarely works out that way. Turned out the new tyrants weren’t much better than the Shah—maybe even worse—as Sarvestani tells us that her brother was one of those hanged in the streets for being a counterrevolutionary.

Cut to today, when Sarvestani is an accomplished documentary filmmaker who remains in exile from her native country. Fascinated by the life of the Shah’s widow, who still considers herself the Queen of Iran, Sarvestani manages to gain access to the royal, making for an odd negotiation. On the one hand, Sarvestani wants to call the widow on the sins of her late husband’s brutal regime, where torture was routine. But she also shares the Queen’s longing to return to Iran, so they actually begin to bond.

The Queen and I is as much about Iranian history and politics and failed revolutions as it is about the complex relationship between documentary filmmaker and subject. We share in the filmmaker’s complex feelings regarding the Queen, who still asks that people refer to her as “your majesty.” (Kind of inspiring—I’ll have to try this out myself.) But when she breaks down while talking about her daughter, who died of complications from depression and an eating disorder, one can’t help but feel sympathy. The real nutjobs are the Iranian expat royalists, who hold fundraisers and really believe the Shah’s son could return and take over Iran! A fascinating documentary. (MH)

Shorts
After watching Robert Rodriguez’s (Spy Kids) latest special effects-laden family flick, I’m really starting to feel sorry for the kiddies these days. Along with recent films like G-Force and Aliens in the Attic, it appears financiers are only willing to throw money at kid pics that should be sponsored by Ritalin.

There is far too much going on in Shorts. Set in futuristic suburbia, the film is a collection of five non-linear chapters meant to come off as overlapping shorts. Toe (Jimmy Bennett), a well-intentioned dork, finds a rainbow-coloured rock that grants a never-ending supply of wishes. Bennett and his nerdy pals abuse the stone, asking for an infinite ration of candy bars and a medieval castle, amongst other things.

When the stone falls into adult hands, things take a turn for the worse. Mr. Black (James Spader) plays the power hungry CEO of Black Box Inc. (think Steve Jobs crossed with Gordon Gecko), a company that produces handheld devices that morph into almost anything imaginable (coffee machine, smart phone, etc). Realizing the stone could render his Black Boxes obsolete, Spader seeks to claim it for himself. A battle between the evil adults and the righteous tweens ensues, allowing for Rodriguez to bombard the viewer with ridiculous CGI involving everything from pterodactyls to an ornery, oversized walking booger.

William H. Macy and Leslie Mann add some star power to the pic as parents caught in the middle, but ultimately Shorts is a very flawed attempt to entertain the family while questioning the responsibilities that accompany free will. (CS)

BOOGER TIME: Shorts

Post Grad
Gilmore Girl Alexis Bledel stars in this family-friendly frolic as Ryden, a perky 22-year-old whose can-do spirit is no match for the harsh realities of the working world. Struggling to keep her head above water, she’s supported only by her best friend (Zach Gilford), a guitar-slinging sensitive type with a thinly veiled desire to take their connection beyond the platonic, and by her eccentric family.

For although the film is promoted as a rom-com, it’s at least as much a family comedy. As Bledel’s goofy, lovably misguided dad, Michael Keaton re-channels his Mr. Mom glory days after many years wandering in the post-Batman wilderness. Jane Lynch’s comic ferocity is tamed in a rather underdeveloped role as the mom. Then again, she’s playing against the glorious Carole Burnett, grotesquely made up and bewigged, floating through the film sprinkling vaudevillian gold dust as a wisecracking grandma. (Between Burnett and Betty White in The Proposal, this has been a banner year for geriatric comediennes).

The first non-cartoon effort from Shrek and Shark Tale director Vicky Jenson, Post Grad seems like it should be a young adults’ movie, but has a surprisingly clean and innocent tone in the post-Apatow context. It’s utterly predictable, totally schmaltzy, and full of montages set to crappy corporate emo-pop, but somehow manages to be difficult to dislike, mostly due to the amiable cast and the good-natured sweetness of the whole thing. All the same, the best way to see it would probably be while babysitting a pre-teen girl. (MF)

ALL FILMS OPEN THIS FRIDAY, AUG. 21