At the Movies: capsule reviews of ‘Shrink’ and other films this week

Capsule reviews: ‘Shrink’ and other films

Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

“In the Loop” — Earlier this summer, we had “The Hurt Locker,” by far the best drama yet about the Iraq war. Now, we have a comedy that finally manages to satirize the war successfully. Granted, it doesn’t feature a minute of combat. It doesn’t even take place in Iraq or mention the war by name. Nevertheless, director and co-writer Armando Iannucci’s aim is clear: a skewering of U.S. involvement in that particular region of the Middle East, and more specifically, the support Britain provided. The aesthetic and tone may remind American viewers of “The Office,” with its faux-verite camerawork and deadpan dialogue that was often improvised; some of the one-liners breeze by so quickly and subtly, you might miss them, so pay attention. (”In the Loop” actually evolved from Iannucci’s BBC series “The Thick of It.”) It follows politicos on both sides of the Atlantic who are clueless, scheming, inept, self-serving or all of the above. In London, there’s Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), the minister for international development who makes a vague radio statement that “war is unforeseeable.” The prime minister’s communications director, Malcolm Tucker (the brilliantly acerbic and profane Peter Capaldi), freaks out and tries to do damage control. Nevertheless, in Washington, government officials seize on Simon’s words as validation for entering combat. They include Karen Clarke (Mimi Kennedy), the assistant secretary for diplomacy who invites Simon to explain his comments further, and the pompous State Department hawk Linton Barwick (David Rasche). Not rated but contains graphic language throughout. 106 min. Three stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

“Shrink” — Say what you will about some of Kevin Spacey’s more questionable choices over the past decade, movies like “Pay It Forward,” ”K-PAX,” ”The Life of David Gale” and his labor-of-love Bobby Darin biopic, “Beyond the Sea.” When he’s on — when he has strong dialogue to work with and solid actors to play off of — he’s got a presence and a command that are tough to beat. “Shrink” allows him to show off one of his strongest sides: He’s sharply verbal but darkly funny. He’s the central figure in an L.A. story that may seem too familiar, one in which the members of a large ensemble, many of whom are involved in entertainment, end up being cosmically connected. The coincidences can get more than a bit contrived. And it’s way too obviously ironic that Spacey’s Dr. Henry Carter, a psychiatrist to Hollywood’s elite, is in desperate need of repair himself. Among Carter’s mixed-up clientele are a veteran starlet struggling to stay relevant (Saffron Burrows); an A-list actor who’s an alcoholic sex addict (an uncredited Robin Williams), an obsessive-compulsive agent (Dallas Roberts); and a wannabe screenwriter (Mark Webber). Into Carter’s appointment book stumbles a precocious but troubled high school student (Keke Palmer), whom he takes on as a pro bono case. Yes, these all sound like cliched types. Still, the characters in Thomas Moffett’s script are intriguing enough, and director Jonas Pate gets sufficiently lively work from his eclectic cast, that you end up caring about them anyway. R for drug content throughout and pervasive language including some sexual references. 104 min. Two and a half stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic