movie review wag the dog

Wag the Dog

So, why did we invade Grenada? A terrorist bomb killed all those Marines in Beirut, the White House was taking flak, and suddenly our Marines were landing on a Caribbean island few people had heard of, everybody was tying yellow ribbons ’round old oak trees, and Clint Eastwood was making the movie. The Grenadan invasion, I have read, produced more decorations than combatants. By the time it was over, Ronald Reagan’s presidency had proven the republic could still flex its muscle–we could take out a Caribbean Marxist regime at will, Cuba notwithstanding.

Barry Levinson’s “Wag the Dog” cites Grenada as an example of how easy it is to whip up patriotic frenzy, and how dubious the motives sometimes are. The movie is a satire that contains just enough realistic ballast to be teasingly plausible; like “ Dr. Strangelove ,” it makes you laugh, and then it makes you wonder. Just today, I read a Strangelovian article revealing that some of Russian’s nuclear missiles, still aimed at the United States, have gone unattended because their guards were denied bonus rations of 4 pounds of sausage a month. It is getting harder and harder for satire to stay ahead of reality.

In the movie, a U.S. president is accused of luring an underage “Firefly Girl” into an anteroom of the Oval Office, and there presenting her with opportunities no Firefly Girl should anticipate from her commander in chief. A presidential election is weeks away, the opposition candidate starts using “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” in his TV ads, and White House aide Winifred Ames ( Anne Heche ) leads a spin doctor named Conrad Brean ( Robert De Niro ) into bunkers far beneath the White House for an emergency session.

Brean, a Mr. Fixit who has masterminded a lot of shady scenarios, has a motto: “To change the story, change the lead.” To distract the press from the Firefly Girl scandal, he advises extending a presidential trip to Asia, while issuing official denials that the new B-3 bomber is being activated ahead of schedule. “But there is no B-3 bomber,” he’s told.

“Perfect! Deny it even exists!” Meanwhile, he cooks up a phony international crisis with Albania.

Why Albania? Nobody is sure where it is, nobody cares, and you can’t get any news out of it. Nobody can even think of any Albanians except–maybe the Belushi brothers? To produce the graphic look and feel of the war, Brean flies to Hollywood and enlists the services of a producer named Stanley Motss ( Dustin Hoffman ), who is hard to convince. He wants proof that Brean has a direct line to the White House. He gets it. As they watch a live briefing by a presidential spokesman, Brean dictates into a cell phone and the spokesman repeats, word for word, what he hears on his earpiece. (I was reminded of the line in “ Broadcast News “: “Goes in here, comes out there.”) Motss assembles the pieces for a media blitz. As spokesmen warn of Albanian terrorists skulking south from Canada with “suitcase bombs,” Motss supervises the design of a logo for use on the news channels, hires Willie Nelson to write the song that will become the conflict’s “spontaneous” anthem, and fakes news footage of a hapless Albanian girl ( Kirsten Dunst ) fleeing from rapists with her kitten. (Dunst is an American actress, and the kitten, before it is created with special effects, is a bag of Tostados.) But what about a martyr? Motss cooks up “good old Shoe,” Sgt. William Schumann ( Woody Harrelson ), who is allegedly rescued from the hands of the Albanians to be flown back for a hero’s welcome. Shoe inspires a shtick, too: Kids start lobbing their old gym shoes over power lines, and throwing them onto the court during basketball games, as a spontaneous display of patriotism.

It’s creepy how this material is absurd and convincing at the same time. Levinson, working from a smart, talky script by David Mamet and Hilary Henkin , based on the book “American Hero” by Larry Beinhart, deconstructs the media blitz that accompanies any modern international crisis. Even when a conflict is real and necessary (the Gulf War, for example), the packaging of them is invariably shallow and unquestioning; like sportswriters, war correspondents abandon any pretense of objectivity and detachment, and cheerfully root for our side.

For Hoffman, this is the best performance in some time, inspired, it is said, by producer Robert Evans . (In power and influence, however, Motss seems more like Ray Stark .) Like a lot of Hollywood power brokers, Hoffman’s Motss combines intelligence with insecurity and insincerity, and frets because he won’t get “credit” for his secret manipulations.

De Niro’s Brean, on the other hand, is a creature born to live in shadow, and De Niro plays him with the poker-faced plausibility of real spin doctors, who tell lies as a professional specialty. Their conversations are crafted by Mamet as a verbal ballet between two men who love the jargon of their crafts.

“Why does a dog wag its tail?” Brean asks at one point. “Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail was smarter, it would wag the dog.” In the Breanian universe, the tail is smarter, and we, dear readers, are invited to be the dogs.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Willie Nelson as Johnny Green
Dustin Hoffman as Stanley Motss
Woody Harrelson as Sgt. William Schumann
Denis Leary as Fad King
Anne Heche as Winifred Ames
Robert De Niro as Conrad Brean
Andrea Martin as Liz Butsky

Directed by

Barry Levinson
David Mamet
Hilary Henkin

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Wag the dog.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 2 Reviews
Kids Say 1 Review

Common Sense Media Review

By Heather Boerner , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Entertaining, creepily resonant political comedy.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the president is accused of molesting a teenage girl. All of the main characters lie and work to defraud the voters in order to have their candidate re-elected. A woman sleeps with a man in order to advance their conspiracy. Conrad has a producer killed when he threatens to reveal the faked…

Why Age 16+?

Some drinking and smoking cigarettes and cigars by adults.

A lot of swearing: "f--k" (many times), as well as "s--t" an

A White House staff member sleeps with a member of the press to advance their co

Two people are killed off-screen. It's implied that a sex offender attacked

Any Positive Content?

A group of White House staffers conspires to defraud the American public so they

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

A lot of swearing: "f--k" (many times), as well as "s--t" and many others.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A White House staff member sleeps with a member of the press to advance their conspiracy. She's shown in bed draped in a sheet.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Two people are killed off-screen. It's implied that a sex offender attacked a farmer's wife. The president is accused of molestation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

A group of White House staffers conspires to defraud the American public so they can keep their candidate in office.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (2)
Kids say (1)

Based on 2 parent reviews

Haven't had this much fun since live TV!

Review correction, what's the story.

In this creepily resonant film, the president calls in Conrad Bream ( Robert De Niro ) to divert the attention of the electorate away from an emerging sexual molestation charge against him -- 11 days before the election. Bream's job is to get the public to think about anything else, and he does. With the help of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (played hilariously by Dustin Hoffman ), singer Johnny Dean (Willie Nelson), military convict Sgt. William Schumann (the ever-creepy Woody Harrelson ), and talent agent Fad King ( Denis Leary ), Bream tries to pull off the biggest distraction ever: a War on Terrorism against Albanian rebels. Why Albania? "Why not Albania?" Bream counters. And then adds, "War is show business." "This is nothing new," he asserts. "During Reagan's administration, 240 Marines were killed in Beirut. Twenty-four hours later, we invade Granada. That was their story, that was their MO. Change the story, change the lead. It's not a new concept."

Is It Any Good?

Leaving the politics of the film aside, it's very well done. DeNiro is clearly having a great time playing a political mastermind dressed as a college professor, and Hoffman is irresistible as the megalomaniacal producer who's always got a story of how producing a movie is harder than producing a war. Once you get past the eerie feeling that you're watching voter fraud with a happy soundtrack, Wag the Dog is quite enjoyable.

In the book 1984 , George Orwell created a world in which a corrupt government controls its people with campaigns of fear and ever-rotating wars against shadowy enemies. WAG THE DOG shows how that kind of corruption could be played out in the TV age. This film will be forever steeped in the world of Clinton and Monica Lewinski and the attack on Somalia for those who saw it in the theater in the late '90s. But it's oddly resonant in the early '00s as well, in a world of nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, ever-shifting wars on terrorism, elusive Osama Bin Laden, and Guantanamo Bay.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about their reactions to the film's premise: Do you believe that the government is so desperate to stay in power that it would stage a war to do it? What are the correlations between the film and recent military attacks? This is also a good opportunity to teach kids to think critically about the messages the government is sending -- how do you judge for yourself whether a government policy is good or not? How do politicians use emotions to manipulate voters?

Movie Details

In theaters : December 17, 1997
On DVD or streaming : September 2, 2003
Cast : Anne Heche , Dustin Hoffman , Robert De Niro
Director : Barry Levinson
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : New Line
Genre : Comedy
Run time : 110 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : language.
Last updated : June 3, 2023

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What to watch next.

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

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Wag the Dog Reviews

The idea sags near the end, but for some time, it is right on.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jan 19, 2023

...I’ll simply let the movie explain itself and recommend it highly for anyone interested in satirical filmmaking.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jan 7, 2023

...a vitriolic comedy/satire that venomously assesses the lack of morality in the modern media and politics...

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 9, 2021

Perhaps what's so surprising about 1997's Wag the Dog is how the political satire feels so realistic over twenty years following its theatrical release.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 19, 2020

...a fairly static drama that contains few elements worth connecting to or wholeheartedly embracing...

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Feb 7, 2019

If anything, in the years since its release, the worlds of politics, entertainment, and news media have grown even more intertwined in which narratives are carefully controlled and expectations are minimal.

Full Review | Jan 2, 2018

'Wag the Dog,' a movie that's fun to see more than once, comes across as a bitingly funny satire of politics, the media and show business.

Full Review | Sep 25, 2011

Entertaining, creepily resonant political comedy.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 18, 2010

Smart political satire from director Barry Levinson.

Full Review | Mar 30, 2009

Anyone who would be inherently interested in this kind of sendup is unlikely to be surprised by anything in this film -- overall it feels like a trifle, if an entertaining one.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 30, 2009

Hilary Henkin and David Mamet's script is gleefully hyperbolic without ever straying from its political target.

Twisty and flat-out hilarious.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 29, 2009

Feels tossed-off and casual in the best way.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Jul 24, 2007

Strong performances abound in the film.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | May 9, 2007

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 30, 2006

I doubt it will age as well as Network, but it is close to that realm of brilliance.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 16, 2006

Lazily assembled by director Levinson, it slides into a series of soft, extended skits on engineering a media war, not helped by several badly handled leaps in the story.

Full Review | Jan 26, 2006

Beyond a couple of hilarious zingers, its impact feels smug and minor.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Dec 6, 2005

Brilliantly scripted and acted to the point where even Barry Levinson's typically uninspired direction doesn't matter.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 17, 2005

Levinson has created a surprising quickie that satirically strikes out at our political system, the media (easy target) and the whole business of image versus reality.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Apr 9, 2005

Wag the Dog (United States, 1997)

"Why does a dog wag its tail? Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail was smarter, it would wag the dog."

Hollywood and Presidential politics - perfect together. Anyone who doubts this simple maxim will face a challenge to their opinion when they see Wag the Dog , the hilarious new satire from director Barry Levinson. For, although this film is one of the funniest comedies of the year, it also carries a serious, thought-provoking message about the relationship between politics and mass-market entertainment. This is one of Levinson's best films, and the screenplay, co-penned by noted writer David Mamet (along with Hilary Henkin), is brilliantly on-target.

The premise is relatively simple. Only two weeks before election day, a sitting president is hit by a sex scandal. A brief dalliance with a Firefly Girl becomes public knowledge, and now his 17% lead is about to plummet. Winifred Ames (Anne Heche), one of the President's top aides, calls in spin doctor extraordinary, Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro). Conrad goes to work immediately, deciding that the best way to get the public's mind off the Firefly Girl is to give them something bigger to think about. "Change the story, change the lead" is his motto, so he decides to manufacture a war against Albania. Why Albania? Because the name sounds sinister and no one in the United States knows anything about the country.

Conrad decides that he and Winifred can't do it alone. They need help, so they go to big-time Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman). He has never won an Academy Award, but he's more than willing to help stage the war. They'll need slogans, a theme song, merchandising links, and sympathetic characters. Soon, carefully-controlled leaks to the press make it to the evening news, and everyone is reporting about the outbreak of hostilities between the United States and Albania, even though no troops have been moved and no shots have been fired. Actual battles don't matter, however, because, if it's on television, it must be real.

The ones wagging the dog are clearly the spin doctors: Conrad, Stanley, and Winifred. But who is the dog? The media, who eagerly lap up every drop of milk spilled by the White House press staff? The American public, ever-eager for the latest made-for-television war/entertainment? The answer is likely both. And, while Levinson and Mamet are clearly stretching reality beyond the bounds of credibility for the purposes of this satire, there's more than a kernel of truth in the core theme. Political campaigns are often run like Hollywood motion pictures. Television is critical to a candidate's success. And the media loves a good war - just look at the current frenzy that's occurring as hostilities with Iraq rise towards a crescendo.

Levinson directs Wag the Dog with a sure hand. The director has a spotty resume - he has been responsible for winners like Tin Men and Rain Man (also with Hoffman) and losers like Toys . This time around, he's in complete control of the material. Meanwhile, Mamet has honed his pen to its sharpest to systematically slice apart targets ranging from television news reporting methods to the political process. While doing so, he has come up with some innovative interpretations of various recent historical events. For example, who recalls how soon after the Beirut disaster the United States "invaded" Grenada?

The actors all play their roles with zeal. De Niro, getting a chance to essay a character who's not a gangster or a heavy, is delightful, and it's easy to believe that Conrad is the best in the business. If I needed a spin doctor, he'd be first on my list. Hoffman matches him scene for scene as the sleazy-but-ambitious producer. The actor almost never turns in a bad performance, but this is his best in several years, eclipsing what he did in Mamet's American Buffalo . Anne Heche, who has been in the news for her personal life, is capable as the proverbial dumb blond. Woody Harrelson is wonderfully thick doing his best Billy Bob Thornton impression. Cameos include Kirsten Dunst as an actress hired to play an Albanian refugee, William H. Macy as CIA agent Young, and Craig T. Nelson as Senator John Neal, the President's challenger. It is also worth noting that Levinson got around the tricky task of casting the President by never showing his face. This is entirely appropriate, since everything we learn about the man is a shadowy, insubstantial fabrication.

To avoid making Wag the Dog sound too much like an intellectual challenge, let me make this clarification: the movie is intelligent, but it's also a lot of fun. This is the kind of film that you can laugh and think your way through. I look forward to seeing Wag the Dog another time, and I think I'll enjoy it as much, if not more. No matter what your political persuasion is, or how cynically you regard the goings-on in Washington, you will be entertained. Let's just hope Wag the Dog isn't too close to the mark in its depiction of specific events.

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Wag the dog.

Directed by Barry Levinson

A comedy about truth, justice and other special effects.

During the final weeks of a presidential race, the President is accused of sexual misconduct. To distract the public until the election, the President's adviser hires a Hollywood producer to help him stage a fake war.

Dustin Hoffman Robert De Niro Anne Heche Woody Harrelson Denis Leary Willie Nelson Andrea Martin Kirsten Dunst William H. Macy David Koechner Michael Belson Suzanne Cryer John Michael Higgins Suzie Plakson Jason Cottle Harland Williams Sean Masterson Bernard Hocke Jenna Byrne Maurice Woods Roebuck 'Pops' Staples Phil Morris Chris Ellis Ed Morgan J. Patrick McCormack Jennifer Manley Edrie Warner Richard Lawson Drena De Niro Show All… Alberto Vazquez Stephanie Kemp Jack Esformes John Cho Michael Reid Davis Brant Cotton Kenneth Kern Michelle Levinson Ron McCoy Derek Morgan Garry R. Roleder Merle Haggard Jim Belushi George Gaynes Rick Scarry Cliff B. Howard Furley Lumpkin Sean Fenton Nikki Crawford John Franklin Kevin Furlong Lu Elrod Michael Villani Shirley Prestia Warren Wilson Terry Anzur Melissa Gardner Giselle Fernández Christine Devine Richard Saxton Geoffrey Blake Jerry Levine Jack Shearer Emmett Miller Bill Handel Anais Afshan Hope Garber Gina Menza Maggie Mellin Tom Murray Ralph Tabakin Marguerite Moreau Jay Leno Nicole Avant Wendy Lou Halvorsen Tom Bähler Anthony Holiday Allen Carter Brad Kalas Carmen Carter Billy Trudel Lance Eaton Mark Vieha Karen Geraghty Julia Waters James Gilstrap Oren Waters Jennifer Gross Maxine Waters Willard Craig T. Nelson Barry Levinson Robert Richardson Laura Bennecke Greg Bronson Phillip V. Caruso Sean Ireland Glendon Rich Guy Richardson Robert Sedona Randy Springer Chelsea Talbott Paul Webster

Director Director

Barry Levinson

Producers Producers

Robert De Niro Barry Levinson Jane Rosenthal Laurie Kaye Eric McLeod

Writers Writers

Hilary Henkin David Mamet

Original Writer Original Writer

Larry Beinhart

Casting Casting

Ellen Chenoweth Debra Zane

Editor Editor

Cinematography cinematography.

Robert Richardson

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Amy Sayres Christopher Swartout

Additional Directing Add. Directing

Ken Arlidge

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Michael De Luca Claire Rudnick Polstein Ezra Swerdlow

Lighting Lighting

Roger Awad Halo Amrani Fredrick W. Marx III Reinhart Peschke Renan Galindo Alexandre Naufel Russell Steen

Camera Operators Camera Operators

Martin Schaer David Norris

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Ken Arlidge Daryl Studebaker

Production Design Production Design

Wynn Thomas

Art Direction Art Direction

Mark Worthington Christopher Tandon

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Robert Greenfield Scott W. Leslie Jeff Markwith Jim McDermott Mark W. Pallatt John Slatsky James R. Shumaker Brent Smith

Special Effects Special Effects

Jim Hanson Dennis King Ronald W. Mathews

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Mike Sabga Krystyna Demkowicz

Composer Composer

Mark Knopfler

Sound Sound

Tim Holland Steve Cantamessa Lora Hirschberg Tom Johnson J.R. Grubbs John Roesch Jana Vance Dennie Thorpe Tony Eckert Mary Helen Leasman Frank 'Pepe' Merel Al Nelson Michael Silvers Mark Weingarten David Abrahamsen Mark Burton Sean England

Costume Design Costume Design

Makeup makeup.

Daniel C. Striepeke Ilona Herman Mark Landon Peter Montagna Elaine L. Offers

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Melissa Yonkey Michael White Ilona Herman Hazel Catmull Kathrine Gordon

New Line Cinema Tribeca Productions Baltimore Pictures Punch Productions

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

Albanian English

Releases by Date

Theatrical limited, 25 dec 1997, 05 mar 1998, 25 mar 1998, 10 apr 1998, 23 apr 1998, 29 apr 1998, 08 may 1998, 16 jul 1998, 31 aug 1998, 12 sep 1998, 06 jun 2003, releases by country.

Theatrical M https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/wag-dog
Theatrical 12+
Theatrical U
Theatrical 12

Netherlands

Theatrical AL
TV AL Nederland 1
Theatrical M/12
Theatrical 16+

South Korea

Theatrical 15
Theatrical limited R

97 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by cait ★★★ 5

still in disbelief that the president in wag the dog distracts from his affair by starting a fake war in albania and then a year later bill clinton distracts from his affair by starting a real war in iraq... satire is dead

Review by Dakota Joaquin ★★★★

Bill Clinton watched this movie and thought “holy fuck that’s a good idea!”

Review by Kunga Sagar ★★★½

Calling this movie prophetic is one thing, calling it a full on horror disguised as a buddy comedy is another. I’m firmly in the latter category, as I was frankly disturbed by the time I completed this Barry Levinson picture. Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro riffing David Mamet dialogue off of each other is a recipe for an offbeat banger. Hoffman is channeling the late Robert Evans here, while De Niro is trying to be anything but a hard ass mobster. Both electrify the screen as they always have in this novelty of the mid to late 90s.

Levinson shoots this dry, cynical script like Rain Man, although without Hans Zimmer’s heartwarming score it becomes more like a cousin…

Review by Will ★★★½

Dustin Hoffman’s delivery is so perfect. I can’t really think of many other actors who can deliver dialogue like he can. His comedic timing is so effortless and it’s such a joy to watch him perform.

Review by bulletproofQpid ★★★★★

"Why Albania?" "Why not?" "What have they done to us?" "What have they done FOR us? What do you know about them?" "Nothing." "See? They keep to themselves. Shifty. Untrustable."

That's the difference between the Clinton years and the Trump years - we thought that it was possible that we were getting a bunch of bullshit from Bill, but we couldn't really be sure. Trump is completely incapable of saying anything that isn't complete bullshit.

Probably my favorite of all of Levinson's films...

Review by Will Sloan ★★ 3

This movie has become a minor cultural touchstone because of its provocative central idea, which is that Washington and Hollywood could conspire to create a fake war and easily sell it to us, the rube public. But because Barry Levinson and David Mamet believe in nothing except their own cleverness, the movie has only that one idea, and most of the movie just repeats it rather than complicating/challenging/building on it. Don't expect any character arcs either. While I'm not thrilled about Mamet's subsequent right-wing conversion, at least it led to Spartan , a much more entertaining movie.

Early on, the spin doctor played by Robert De Niro says, "We remember the slogans, we can’t even remember the fuckin’ wars. Y’know why?…

Review by chavel ★★★★½ 6

What’s enduring about Wag the Dog is its satiric slant on presidential image buffering, with spin doctor Robert DeNiro as Conrad Brean employing Hollywood producer Dustin Hoffman as a brassy, silver pompadour Robert Evans-type to construct a phony war as a decoy strategy after the president is accused of sexual misconduct with a Firefly girl. We never see the President head-on, but we hear his audio and get enough of a sense what a phony gasbag he is, though in 1997 it was seen as obscene satire because none of us thought a President that imbecilic could ever take Oval Office.

The central hook is that a country’s citizens only need the ballast of one video or photographic image in…

Review by Deckk ★★★★★

100-word review: An underrated gem that deserves far more recognition than it receives. Directed by Barry Levinson, and boasting a stellar cast including De Niro and Hoffman, the film blends political satire with razor-sharp wit. It's astonishing how such a cleverly crafted movie, which explores media manipulation and political spin, flew under the radar. The film's timely message about the power of media in shaping public perception feels even more relevant today. The two leads deliver masterful performances, effortlessly blending humour with a biting critique of contemporary politics. The chemistry between them is electric, making every scene crackle with energy. Watch it!

Review by Drew Clark ★★★★

“What’d the TV ever do to you?” “Ruin the electoral process”

Review by Matthew Christman ★★★

Haven't watch this in a long time, and the thing that stands out is just how much of a Clinton-era curio it is. The halcyon days when people really thought they were living at the End of History, and their biggest concern was that nothing was Real anymore. Since then, we've been living hip deep in the Real, while at the same time trying to keep it at arm's length with the Internet. As a result, Wag feels about as relevant as a silent movie about the dangers of Jazz music. Hoffman is still funny, though. Also: there IS an Oscar for Best Producer: who the hell do you think accepts the Best Picture award?

Review by Justin Peterson ★★★★½ 5

(Adam & Justin's Letterboxd Movie Club)

Just think about how the true power of politics all comes down to only the perception of truth.

"ONE video of ONE bomb Mr. Motts, the American people bought that war. War is show business - that's why we're here."

Wow, what a timely movie to revisit this election year. Wag the Dog is a scary but 'potentially' realistic vision of how mass media can be used to manipulate people. I was blown away the first time I saw the film, and watching it now after having gone to college for Mass Communications & Political Science in addition to accumulating a wealth of career experience, provides a whole new perspective on it. And while I remembered…

Review by Danzel Vaughn ★★★★ 4

absurd! my goverment would never go through this much trouble to lie to me and no hollywood producer is this insufferable or self centered! 4 stars!

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Wag The Dog (1997) Review

I can vividly remember the opening night for Wag the Dog. It was back in 1997, I was in high school becoming a budding film lover, and I went with a group of friends to see this bitter black comedy about Hollywood and politics and I can remember being one of the few people in the theater who seemed to love what they were seeing.

It was very topical material at the time, and still is today, with razor-sharp satire always at the forefront, and a whiff of pompous, know-it-all-hu mor that probably alienated many people. Energetically directed by Barry Levinson and craftily adapted by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet from Larry Beinhart’s novel American Hero, Wag the Dog centers on a presidential sex scandal, and the Washington DC-based spin doctor (Robert De Niro, wonderfully affable and light on his feet) who is called in for crisis management by the White House.

His big idea? He’ll start a fake war with Albania and spread various media rumors and lies in an effort to deflect the country’s attention from the real scandal at hand. De Niro enlists the help of an aging, full-of-himself Hollywood mega-producer, perfectly played with smarmy glee by a bronzed and absurdly coifed Dustin Hoffman, who brings along his various production contacts so that he can “produce a war” that nobody will ever realize is fake. And one that he can, rather frustratingly, never tell anyone he had a part in creating.

The comic mileage that’s derived from this ironically painful fact for Hoffman is a constant source of hilarity all throughout this happy-to-be-mean little movie. And when you actually pay close to attention to the dialogue, you’ll notice just how tack-sharp the spoken words are, with various individual lines carrying a wicked punch (“No more make-up, she’s just been raped by terrorists!”).

An amazing supporting cast rounds out the brittle edges of this scathing media takedown, with Anne Heche, a diseased Woody Harrelson, rapid-fire Dennis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, John Michael Higgins, David Koechner, William H. Macy, and Kirsten Dunst all showing up for memorable cameos and bit performances.

But the black heart and acidic soul of this punchy little movie belongs to the amazing team of De Niro and Hoffman, who both seemed to be in love with the idea of occupying the same space as one another, generating tremendous chemistry, and letting the zippy screenplay do most of the heavy lifting. Mamet and Henkin’s script throws out a variety of nastily barbed zingers, and Levinson’s snappy direction is in perfect tandem with Robert Richardson’s agile, hot-white cinematography. Also, the idea that this movie was released exactly one month before the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke is just too wild to contemplate.

Review by Nick Clement

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Wag the Dog

Shortly before an election, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a Presidential sex scandal.
After being caught in a scandalous situation days before the election, the president does not seem to have much of a chance of being re-elected. One of his advisers contacts a top Hollywood producer in order to manufacture a war in Albania that the president can heroically end, all through mass media. — Christy
When the president of the United States is about to get caught in a sex scandal 14 days from the election it is time to create a war. Perception and reality, life and death all flow from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. — Lyle Jordan <[email protected]>
The President (Michael Belson) is caught making advances on an underage girl inside the Oval Office, less than two weeks before the election. Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro), a top spin doctor, is brought in by presidential aide Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) to take the public's attention away from the scandal. He decides to construct a fictional war in Albania, hoping the media will concentrate on this instead. Brean contacts Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to create the war, complete with a theme song and fake film footage of a photogenic orphan. The hoax is initially successful, with the President quickly gaining ground in the polls appearing afterwards. When the CIA learns of the plot, they send Agent Young (William H. Macy) to confront Brean about the hoax. Brean convinces Young that revealing the deception is against his and the CIA's best interests. But when the CIA - in collusion with the President's rival candidate - reports that the war did happen but is drawing to an end, the media begins to focus back on the President's sexual abuse scandal. To counter this, Motss decides to invent a hero who was left behind enemy lines in Albania. Inspired by the idea that he was "discarded like an old shoe", Brean and Motss have the Pentagon provide the team with a soldier named Schumann (Woody Harrelson) around whom a POW narrative is constructed, complete with T-shirts, patriotic songs, and faux-grassroots demonstrations of patriotism and solidarity. As part of the hoax, folk singer Johnny Dean (Willie Nelson) records a song called "Old Shoe", which is pressed onto a 78 rpm record, prematurely aged so that listeners will think it was recorded years earlier, and sent to the Library of Congress to be "found". Soon, large numbers of old pairs of shoes began appearing on phone and power lines, signs that the movement is taking hold. We, like the American public, get caught up in the events of a fictional war produced in the basement of the White House with computers and blue screens, actors and scenarios. Soon they even release a mental patient who once served in the military because he has the right last name, "Shoe" to portray a war hero of the conflict. They release him because they have a show song from a nostalgic old tune that contains his name, a war tune now to drum up sympathy and national support for the war effort. When the team goes to retrieve Schumann, they discover he is in fact a criminally insane Army convict. On the way back, their plane crashes en route to Andrews Air Force Base. The team survives and is rescued by a farmer, an illegal alien who is given expedited citizenship for a better story. However, Schumann is killed after he attempts to sexually assault a gas station owner's daughter. Seizing the opportunity, Motss stages an elaborate military funeral for Schumann, claiming that he died from wounds sustained during his rescue. While watching a political talk show, Motss gets frustrated that the media are crediting the president's upsurge in the polls to the bland campaign slogan of "Don't change horses in mid-stream" rather than Motss's hard work. Despite previously claiming he was inspired by the challenge, Motss announces that he wants credit and will reveal his involvement, despite Brean's offer of an ambassadorship and the dire warning that he is "playing with his life". After Motss refuses to back down, Brean reluctantly orders his security staff to kill him. A newscast reports that Motss has died of a heart attack at home, the president was successfully re-elected, and an Albanian terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for a recent bombing.

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Wag The Dog Review

13 Mar 1998

Wag The Dog

The President Of The United States is found having a quick shag so a spin doctor stages a war to divert attention from the Prez's zipper. At the time of writing, Bill Clinton's (alleged) dalliance with Monica Lewinsky is practically old news as he seeks to flex his political muscles in the direction of Saddam Hussein. Biting satire or frightening prescience? Barry Levinson's low-budget comedy is a bit of both but less than the sum of these parts.

When the leader of the free world is caught with his hand up a girl guide's uniform, things do not look well for the political machine that espouses life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The ensuing sex-gate scandal could spell the end for the Mr. President in the forthcoming election unless spin doctor Ronnie Brean (De Niro) can run some interference. And who better at fooling the public than Hollywood? Bringing White House aide Heche along for the ride, Ronnie enlists the help of movie producer Stan Motss (Hoffman). Their plan? To fabricate a war. Their proposed target? Albania . . .

Written in part by David Mamet, Wag The Dog is a lovely idea, with credibility buoyed by its incredible timeliness. But, content with its initial premise, the movie lacks the necessary bite to develop the satire further, to the point where it's difficult to spot whether Washington or Hollywood is the target. Maybe the point is that they're now more or less one and the same, but the film seems more concerned with its characters than what they have to say.

This is another of Levinson's back to basics productions (see also Jimmy Hollywood) and the fact remains that despite his Baltimore movies (Diner, Tin Men, Avalon), he is simply not a personal filmmaker. His true talent lies in eliciting top performances from well cast actors. Thus, we have De Niro not mugging in a comedy, Heche as the perfect audience touchstone and Hoffman, seldom better in a turn that is reputedly his take on Uberproducer Robert Evans. Great acting, great filmmaking, half-realised idea - but nonetheless entertaining.

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Wag the Dog (1997)

Directed by barry levinson.

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Wag the Dog is a 1997 black comedy film produced and directed by Barry Levinson. The screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet was loosely adapted from Larry Beinhart's novel American Hero. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, with Anne Heche, Denis Leary, and William H. Macy in supporting roles. Just days before a presidential election, a Washington, D.C. spin doctor (De Niro) distracts the electorate from a sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood film producer (Hoffman) to construct a fake war with Albania. The film was released one month before the outbreak of the Lewinsky scandal and the subsequent bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan by the Clinton Administration, which prompted the media to draw comparisons between the film and reality.

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Wag the Dog

Wag the Dog is an incredibly witty movie, a rare blend of cynicism, humour, and intelligence. The movie is about a spin doctor working for the Presidential re-election campaign, who must create a situation that will distract the public from the President's scandalous affairs.

To this end, Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro), the spin doctor, with the help of movie producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman), manages to convince the public, using media manipulation techniques, that America is at war with Albania. The headlines that result from this manipulation soon take precedent over the President's alleged tryst with a young girl.

Of course, such an elaborate hoax cannot be sustained without others getting in the way, and the movie is about how, despite all odds, Bream and Motss manage to pull it off. The movie chronicles the success of this hoax, with a healthy dose of non-seriousness and humour.

Wag the Dog requires a greater suspension of disbelief than most action movies do: The President stages (the appearance of) a war without any approval from Congress. The President appears to be present in Albania without actually being there and no one raises an eyebrow. Even a country which no one has heard of in the U.S. and the international community would sit quietly during these allegations and be completely ignored by the media. But this exaggerated tale only makes the satire stand out more sharply.

Besides the humour, the areas where Wag the Dog succeeds is in letting us know that the media is in the business of making money, and they will report whatever sells the most product. Likewise, the Presidential campaign is not about the events the occur during a Presidential term, but the spin that is put on them.

The most disturbing thing about Wag the Dog is that it shows how easy it is to whip up the American populace into a frenzy using patriotism as a dangling carrot. Every event conjured up by Bream--the war, the martyr (played brilliantly by Woody Harrelson), the theme songs---are carefully crafted to incite the populace. And the fact of the matter is that the general populace follow the media, even the tabloid kind, like sheep. The "tail" wagging the "dog" symbolises those who control the media, and the "dog" which lets itself be wagged by its own tail are represented by the American people. What Wag the Dog doesn't show, but what we should realise, is that real life events can be staged more easily than the hoaxes in the movie. Consider, for example, the current escalation of U.S-Iraq rhetoric just as President Clinton facing a series of personal scandals.

The performances are spectacular all around. Both De Niro and Hoffman produce some of their best work. The acting by the supporting cast is also excellent. It is rare for me to notice the music in a movie as I'm watching the movie (exceptions are movies like Star Wars where anthems are created), but in this case, Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits) does a brilliant job with his subtle guitar work, especially during the beginning. Don't miss this one.

WAG THE DOG

"more media manipulation".

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What You Need To Know:

(H, AP, LLL, V, A, D, MM) Humanist worldview of political corruption & deception; 39 obscenities & 8 profanities; mild violence including implied shooting & implied murder; no sex, but image of couple in bed talking; upper male nudity & woman in underwear; alcohol use; smoking; and, miscellaneous immorality including lying, using people for ill-gotten gain & discussion of purported sexual act of the president with a minor.

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Just a few weeks after MAD CITY was released, a movie starring Dustin Hoffman about media manipulation, Barry Levinson and David Mamet will release WAG THE DOG, a movie starring Dustin Hoffman about media manipulation. Talky, fast-paced and including an all-star cast, WAG THE DOG looks at how absurd as well as how easy it can be to influence the media to create a smoke screen during the last days of a presidential campaign where the president needs damage control when he is accused of fornicating with a minor. Hoffman plays a Hollywood producer, named Stanley, who is hired by a presidential spin doctor, named Conrad (Robert De Niro), to create a fictional war on television between the U.S. and Albania to divert the attention of the public away from the scandal.

The title WAG THE DOG is explained through words on the screen at the beginning of the movie: “Why does a dog wag its tail? Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail was smarter than the dog, the tail would wag the dog.” This is a metaphor for turning the tables on control and manipulation. In this case, a chosen few create fictional news and shape world opinion, rather than world events shaping the news and world opinion. Conrad and his assistant Winifred (played by Anne Heche who doesn’t display her homosexuality in this movie) go to California from Washington D.C. and meet Stanley at his opulent home. They tell him they need him to produce a series of TV events which features a war between the U.S. and Albania. Reluctant at first, Stanley agrees and soon is having a whole group of artists over for a creative brainstorming session.

Stanley is able to create a theme song for the war and a clever, totally fabricated video clip of a young Albanian girl (played by a very American-acting Kirsten Dunst) running from her angry countrymen. The American public are convinced, and the presidential polls reveal that the president is retaining his lead, despite a very lame TV commercial campaign which continually states, “Don’t change horses in midstream.” CIA agents see through the facade and try to question Conrad and Winifred, but through payoffs and quick-talking, the CIA agents are bought and muzzled. Regrettably for the spin doctors, the CIA agents are paid more handsomely by the president’s political opponent, and the news states that the Albanian crisis is over. With a few more days until election, Conrad, Winifred and Stanley invent a story about a US serviceman trapped in Albania, eventually rescued by the president. Lies pile on lies, events change, but the creative team rolls with the events until election day.

WAG THE DOG is a frightening commentary on the deception that can occur between a marriage of shameless immoral people and new communication technologies. Much of the humor in this film comes from the depths these folks will sink to create a complete fabrication about the integrity of the presidency. Willie Nelson is a good example of a composer who fashions heart-wrenching songs for fictional people and events. The movie suggests that the President’s own advisors, the CIA and the media can be influenced to propagate misinformation and lies. The movie further demonstrates that the government will kill people who get in the way of this charade Most of the violence in this movie is psychological and moral rather than physical. This movie could easily have been a thriller about the little guy fighting the bad system, but it chose instead to comically feature the bad system and its operators.

David Mamet is known for his rapid-fire dialogue, corrupt storylines and frequent use of obscenities. Here, the obscenities aren’t blatant, but there are many. Also, the dialogue sometimes becomes unnatural when Mamet has his characters repeat their dialogue over and over for effect. Mamet is clever enough that he should simply let the skilled actors say their lines once and the emotional effect of their meaning would be much stronger. Every actor seems to be enjoying himself in this movie, and even the small supporting roles have great lines, such as William H. Macy as a CIA agent. The intelligent acting and clever execution may attract the academic viewer interested in American politics, but it will not appeal to the viewer who likes feel-good, special effects movies.

WAG THE DOG doesn’t necessarily endorse government corruption, it just says that it can happen and gives an example of it performed in a comical manner. The movie is in many ways as sad as it is funny. It is a practice that may be more prevalent in real life than we care to admit or wish.

"We waste our money so you don't have to."

"We waste our money, so you don't have to."

Movie Review

Wag the dog.

US Release Date: 12-25-1997

Directed by: Barry Levinson

Starring ▸ ▾

Dustin Hoffman , as
Stanley Motss
Robert De Niro , as
Conrad Brean
Anne Heche , as
Winifred Ames
Denis Leary , as
Willie Nelson , as
Johnny Dean
Andrea Martin , as
Kirsten Dunst , as
William H. Macy , as
CIA Agent Charles Young
John Michael Higgins , as
Suzie Plakson , as
Woody Harrelson , as
Sergeant William Schumann
Michael Belson , as
Suzanne Cryer , as
Jason Cottle , as
David Koechner as

Hoffman, Heche and Deniro in Wag the Dog.

Wag the Dog is an insightful look at how the government and media can be manipulative by feeding a population whatever information they want. With plenty of echoes of George Orwell's 1984, Wag the Dog demonstrates that information/propaganda is more powerful than any weapon. It has lots to say about what can go on behind the political scenes, and suggests that we think twice about everything we hear from the news.

With less than two weeks before an election, a Firefly Girl (Girl Scout) comes forward with the story that The President of the United States took her into his private office and sexually assaulted her. With this story comes the knowledge that the president will obviously not be re-elected. Enter the smirking fixer (De Niro) who decides that the only possible way to get past this is to distract the voters with a war.

He drops a few lines to the press denying there is a new bomber. "There is no B-3 bomber. I don't know how these rumors get started!" He has a General sent to an emergency meeting. He denies any knowledge of Albania having a nuclear program. The sheep in the press immediately buy it all and the story of the possibility of war with Albania pushes the girl's story to the second page.

To create something big and fake the fixer and his assistant (Heche) turn to, where else, Hollywood. A movie producer (Hoffman) decides to produce the war for them. He calls in a creative team to market the war with merchandising, fads, theme songs and a fake clip of a girl escaping a war ravaged Albanian village with her cat. Actually it is Kirsten Dunst running in front of a green screen with a bag of Tostitos.

Wag the Dog is funny from start to finish. De Niro is great as the slicker than snot spin doctor lying to everyone around him. Hoffman steals every scene with a relatable story for every problem they encounter. "Fuck the world. Try a ten a.m. script meeting, coked to the gills, no sleep and you haven't even read the treatment." Woody Harrelson is likewise good in a small role as a convict being made up to be a war hero.

As good as Wag the Dog is, it has not gained the recognition it deserved. This has more to do what happened in real life than it does with the quality of the film. The novel, "American Hero", by Larry Beinhart specifically names George H Bush as president and Desert Storm as the war in question. The film never states the President's political party but Heche has this line that she screams at Hoffman, "What do we do now, liberal, affirmative action, shithead, peacenik commie fuck?"

The film makers may have intended this film to question the Bush administration but it backfired once the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. The details of Bill Clinton's and Lewinsky's sexual encounters, his subsequent lie and the impeachment proceedings dominated the news. With his Presidential legacy threatened, Clinton ordered the bombing of a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan that was not producing nerve gas as was originally reported, and a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, that turned out to be nothing more than some huts. Clinton then had the United States military lead a NATO bombing campaign in Kosovo, which is not even a member of NATO, without getting the approval of the United Nations Security Council, something Democrats always insisted Bush get. The distraction worked as news coverage of the bombings pushed the Lewinsky story to the back of the papers.

Wag the Dog may forever be associated with Clinton as it demonstrates just how horribly realistic something ridiculous can actually be. Even if Clinton's decisions were just wildly coincidental, it still demonstrates how the government and media can influence the population through information. When this movie was released I am sure people thought how farfetched it all seemed. After Lewinskygate and the subsequent war, it took on a whole new life.

Dustin Hoffman steals Wag the Dog .

Eric, I agree with you that this is a very funny movie and that Dustin Hoffman steals every scene he appears in. However, I don't think it goes quite far enough in its satire. Having the spin doctors only fake the war instead of actually having one, undercuts the story by not making it believable enough. At times the movie pokes fun at modern technology, but it's that same modern technology that makes what they're doing impossible to pull off, even in 1997. Global communication would quickly disprove any claims that there was a war when there wasn't one. Were the writers afraid a real war couldn't be made funny enough?

The hints and denials of war are fine and I can believe the press would gobble them up, but the press would also immediately follow up these stories by sending reporters to Albania where they would quickly see that there is no war. This movie acts as if the press only gets its information from the government or takes what it is given without digging up any news on its own. And what about the cast and crew who make the fakes news footage featuring Kirsten Dunst? Are you telling me that none of them who saw the film they were making being used as real footage, told anyone? And what about the protesters to the war? Where are they? And, if, as it is hinted, the current administration is Conservative, then why is the Liberal Media backing him to the hilt? Wouldn't they be all over him about the Firefly girl and against his war?

Hoffman definitely gets the funniest part. Eric, you mentioned his best line, but he has many others. Every time a problem seems insurmountable, he comes up with something from his career that was harder. "During the filming of 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,' three of the horsemen died two weeks before the ending of principle photography. This is nothing, this is nothing." Reportedly he is based on famed Hollywood Producer Robert Evans, although Hoffman has never confirmed this, but the real Evans is said to have declared, "I'm magnificent in this film!"

While many of the ideas here are as current today as they were when this movie was made, the technology dates it. I remember seeing this in the theater and being suitably impressed when they are able to use a cell phone to contact the Press Secretary in the middle of a press conference and get him to say a line. Likewise, the use of CGI for Kirsten Dunst's scene was cutting edge at the time, but is just taken for granted now.

Perhaps it's because I'd seen this movie before that I focused on the unanswered questions during this viewing. I still enjoyed it this second time around, but because I knew what was going to happen, I found myself questioning things more. There are still some very funny parts and some great performances, but it's not quite as insightful as you imply Eric. It should have gone further.

Kirsten Dunst and Dustin Hoffman in Wag the Dog .

Wag the Dog is a funny satire of the media and politics. In style, theme and pacing it reminded me of something Frank Capra would have done back in the 1930s. It has just enough reality in it to make its point, but is also quite far fetched in its execution. I’m not suggesting that personal scandals haven’t at times motivated the decisions of sitting presidents but the behind the scenes manipulations going on here are certainly exaggerated.

I get annoyed by the number of individuals I meet that don’t believe we ever went to the moon. They actually think the moon landing was filmed on a soundstage like the battle scene with Kirsten Dunst in this movie. Call me gullible if you like but I don’t believe for a second that a lie of this magnitude could be kept secret for long.

I agree with you Scott that the movie would have worked better if they had actually started a war in Albania, like William Randolph Hearst did with the Spanish American War more than a century ago. OK Hearst didn’t actually start that war but his articles against Spain certainly influenced the American public’s attitude in accepting the war.

The cast is uniformly great although I must join the chorus in singling out Hoffman for his gleeful, never-say-die movie producer. He certainly has Robert Evans’ hairstyle and over-sized ego down pat. In one scene he wants the President of the United States to wait on the phone while he finishes telling an anecdote from his career.

I enjoyed Willie Nelson. The scene where he leads a chorus of singers in a “We Are the World” type anthem hits the bull’s eye as does the forlorn blues song about a shoe. These scenes provide the movie with some of its sharpest satire.

Wag the Dog wants us to think that everything we see in the news has been altered or tampered with. I think that constant suspicion is just as naïve as innocently believing everything we are told. The truth lies somewhere in between.

The Political Satire Film “Wag the Dog” Essay (Movie Review)

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Introduction

Plot summary, main character.

Wathe g the Dog is a 1997 film produced by Barry Levinson starring Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman (Ebert, 1998). It co-starred Denis Leary, Anne Heche, and William Macy.

The film focuses on a Washington spin-doctor who hires a film producer to develop a false war in order to direct people’s attention from a sex scandal involving the president (Ebert, 1998).

The movie was adapted from the storyline of the book American Hero written by Larry Beinhart (Wilson, 1998). It was produced during a period when the president of America (Bill Clinton) was involved in a sex scandal.

The film starts with an anonymous president of the US soliciting sexual favors from an underage girl in a private room. This incident takes place two weeks before an election in which the president is seeking reelection (Wilson, 1998).

Winifred Ames, the president’s consultant advises him to seek help from a renowned spin-doctor and political specialist, Conrad Brean. To divert the public’s attention from the sex scandal, spin-doctor Brean is asked to do something (Wilson, 1998).

Brean uses a nonconventional strategy to achieve this objective. He fabricates a fake war with Albania to induce the media into directing their attention to the fake war and ignore the sex scandal (Ebert, 1998).

Brean seeks help from a Hollywood producer (Motss) who develops a theme song for the war and produces fake footage depicting the adverse effects of the war. Participants include Liz Butsky, Fad King, and Johnny Green (Ebert, 1998).

Green composes a patriotic song for the war. Motss develops footage of an Albanian orphan girl running away from rapists who take advantage of the war situation to exploit girls (Wilson, 1998). He also introduces a logo that is used in news channels to represent the war.

The plan experiences a setback when one of the participants (Harrelson) is arrested. Despite several setbacks, Motss succeeds to avert the media’s attention from the scandal to the elections (Wilson, 1998). His plan is successful because the president is reelected.

Motss is angry when he realizes that the media does not credit the president’s victory to his plan. Instead, the media attributes the win to a slogan used by the president during campaigns. Motss upsets the president when he decides to tell the media the truth regarding the victory (Ebert, 1998).

The president warns him not to reveal the truth because it would endanger his life. The plea is ignored and Motss decides to go on with his plan.

Afraid that truth will be revealed, Brean kills Motss and makes his death look like a heart attack (Wilson, 1998). The film ends with a report of violence in Albania, the location of the fake war.

The main character in the movie is Brean, a spin-doctor known for diverting attention from one situation to another. In the film, his role is to divert attention from the president’s sex scandal involving the Firefly girl to the forthcoming elections.

He advises the president to extend his visit to Asia and deny that the B-3 bomber’s activation was due (Wilson, 1998). As the president extends his trip, Brean fabricates a story about war with Albania. He chooses Albania because few people know its location and they do not care.

He uses the skills of Stanley Motss to create footage that proves the existence of the war. Brean succeeds in diverting the public’s attention and gets the president reelected for another term (Ebert, 1998). However, he threatens to reveal the secret behind the president’s victory.

The president kills him because he is afraid that truth will be revealed and as such compromise his presidency.

The movie is a political satire film that is highly entertaining. It involves many lies that are intended to conceal truth. Brean’s plan is the focus of the film. Brean executes the plan brilliantly and in a manner that keeps viewers entertained.

Use of political satire is controlled because it neither irritates nor vexes viewers. Acting skills displayed in the movie are commendable. Characters display exceptional skills that make the film engaging from beginning to end.

Development of a fake war improves the film’s appeal because it averts people’s attention and achieves the objective of the film. The tragic death of Brean signifies betrayal is a common phenomenon in politics.

Wag the dog is a political satire film that reveals strategies used by politicians to win elections and conceal the truth. It also reveals devious means that politicians use to cover their ills.

In the film, the president uses the skills of a political consultant (Brean) to cover his sex scandal involving a Firefly girl. Brean successfully gets the president reelected by diverting public attention from the scandal to the elections.

However, Brean is vexed when the media fails to recognize his efforts and decides to reveal the truth.

The president kills him to avoid compromising his victory and presidency. The movie is appealing because of the excellent presentation of political satire and display of brilliant acting skills.

Ebert, R. (1998). Wag the Dog . Web.

Wilson, S. (1998). Perpetually Rejuvenated Illusions . Web.

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Bibliography

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The 10 Best Dog Movies, Ranked

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Since the early days of Hollywood, cinematic canines like Rin-Tin-Tin, Lassie, and Old Yeller have established man's best friend as a major box office draw. Today, there is an endless list of notable films about heroic dogs and humorous pups, including Disney's 101 Dalmatians , Hachi: A Dog's Tale , and Turner & Hooch , that have become beloved classics among film fans.

While some of these movies tug at the heartstrings or leave audiences with a bittersweet rush of emotion, they're still a vital part of the movie-going experience that has a lasting impact on many. With family comedies like Beethoven and My Dog Skip and animated adventures such as Wes Anderson 's Isle of Dogs and All Dogs Go to Heaven , these are ten of the best dog movies of all time, ranked!

10 'All Dogs Go to Heaven' (1989)

Directed by don bluth.

Charlie ( Burt Reynolds ) is a canine casino owner who is killed by a vicious gambler, Carface ( Vic Tayback ), but when Charlie finds a way to return to Earth from Heaven, he decides to take his revenge on his killer. As Charlie begins to execute his plan with the help of a young orphan girl, Anne-Marie ( Judith Barsi ), Charlie starts growing fond of the little girl, forcing Charlie to choose between exacting his revenge or helping her find a better life.

Like most of Don Bluth 's films, All Dogs Go to Heaven has a bit of a darker tone than most animated films, but it's still a must-see dog movie, featuring an array of memorable characters voiced by noteworthy names, which also includes Dom DeLuise , Loni Anderson , and Ken Page . Initially, t he movie earned mixed reviews and wasn't a massive success, but through the years, All Dogs Go to Heaven has become a cult classic, noted by many for its heartfelt story and visually stunning animation.

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

A canine angel, Charlie, sneaks back to earth from heaven but ends up befriending an orphan girl who can speak to animals. In the process, Charlie learns that friendship is the most heavenly gift of all.

Watch on Tubi

9 'Beethoven' (1992)

Directed by brian levant.

When a St. Bernard puppy sneaks into the Newton family's backyard, George Newton (Charles Grodin) isn't as keen on the new visitor as his wife, Alice (Bonnie Hunt) and kids. Reluctantly, George agrees to let the puppy, which they name Beethoven, stay, but as the small pet grows into a sizable dog, George becomes more frustrated with the destructive Beethoven, who seems to spoil everything for the patriarch.

The 1992 movie Beethoven is a hilarious family film that spawned a popular film franchise and was also co-written by John Hughes under the pseudonym, Edmond Dantés. Despite earning mixed reviews, Beethoven was a surprise success at the box office, raking in over one hundred and forty million dollars worldwide. The movie does have a few far-fetched and over-the-top moments, but all in all, Beethoven is an essential dog movie that is guaranteed to generate plenty of laughs for any movie-goer.

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8 'Isle of Dogs' (2018)

Directed by wes anderson.

A group of stop-motion animated dogs in Isle of Dogs

In Wes Anderson's clever stop-motion animated film, Isle of Dogs , there is an outbreak of dog flu, forcing all the canines in Megasaki City, Japan, to be sent to a garbage dump known as Trash Island, where they are forced to live in exile. When Atari ( Koyu Rankin ), decides to find his dog, Spots, he flies to the island and ends up meeting a pack of pups who all agree to help him find his beloved pet. The movie features the voice talents of notable stars, including Bryan Cranston , Bill Murray , and Scarlett Johansson .

Isle of Dogs is the epitome of the bond between a person and their canine companions, told through a unique spectrum of animation and immense detail with a political backdrop. The film is considered to be one of Anderson's boldest cinematic creations and was well-received by audiences and critics, including Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times , who called the film, "smart, different and sometimes deliberately odd." Despite the ominous premise of Isle of Dogs , audiences can be reassured that it's full of plenty of laughs that all lead to a more than satisfying ending in this one-of-a-kind dog movie.

Isle of Dogs

Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.

Watch on Disney+

7 'Eight Below' (2006)

Directed by frank marshall.

Paul Walker stars as a guide for the National Science Foundation in Antarctica, Jerry Shepherd, who is asked to take a professor, Dr. Davis McClaren ( Bruce Greenwood ), out to collect fragments from a meteorite and, considering the icy weather conditions, the only way to travel is by sled dogs. When a storm forces the two to return to base camp, the weather becomes dangerous, forcing Shepherd to leave his dogs behind, but once back in the United States, he fights to get back to his pack and save them before it's too late.

Eight Below is a gut-wrenching but powerful survival film and a remake of the 1983 Japanese drama, Antarctica , which was inspired by the 1958 Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. The movie features some highly emotional scenes and moments that are bound to make any viewer reach for the tissues, but Eight Below captures the immense loyalty and an unbreakable bond between a man and his dogs that is undeniable . Eight Below earned overall positive reviews and received three out of four stars from film critic, Roger Ebert , and is essentially an effective story about man's best friend.

Eight Below

6 'my dog skip' (2000), directed by jay russell.

A young boy and a young girl sit on a log in the woods while the girl pets a terrier dog

Set in the 1940s, My Dog Skip stars Frankie Muniz as 9-year-old Willie Morris who receives a Smooth Fox Terrier puppy for his birthday and decides to name him Skip. As the bond between Willie and Skip grows, the pup begins to change various aspects of the boy's life, such as turning bullies into allies and even gaining the affection of the prettiest girl in school, changing both of their lives for the better.

My Dog Skip is a crucial canine flick that centers around the love between a boy and a dog and also stars Diane Lane , Kevin Bacon , and Luke Wilson . Based on the 1995 memoir by Morris, My Dog Skip is a timeless tale about how a furry friend can help a child grow, break free from their shell, and ultimately realize the power that lies deep within them . While the ending is inevitable and Willie must say goodbye to Skip, it ends on a hopeful note of gratitude and genuine appreciation for a special four-legged friend.

My Dog Skip

5 '101 dalmatians' (1961), directed by wolfgang reitherman, clyde geronimi, and hamilton luske.

Pongo and Perdita watching TV with their puppies in 101 Dalmatians

When an aspiring songwriter, Roger ( Ben Wright ), and his dalmatian, Pongo ( Rod Taylor ) cross paths with a lovely woman, Anita ( Lisa Davis ), and her dalmatian, Perdita ( Cate Bauer ), it's love at first sight and Roger and Anita marry, ultimately bringing Pongo and Perdita together. When the dogs become proud parents of fifteen puppies, Antia's former fur-obsessed friend, Cruella De Vil ( Betty Lou Gerson ), offers to pay her for the puppies to use their fur, but Anita and Roger adamantly refuse, forcing DeVille to steal them.

Walt Disney's canine classic, 101 Dalmatians , is a beloved animated feature film based on the 1956 novel by the same name written by Dodie Smith . The film is encased in Disney's traditional frame of love between a family as well as the canine companion and was praised for its creative efforts and, as always, marvelous animation. While the Dalmatians are the focus of the film, Cruella De Vil is considered to be one of Disney's most intricate and clever villains and with a catchy sinister tune to go with her, it's easy to see why she remains at the forefront as one of Disney's most hated characters .

101 Dalmatians

The story of a family of Dalmatian puppies who are kidnapped by a terrible woman called Cruella De Vil, who is fascinated by fur coats and is determined to turn them into a coat.

4 'A Dog's Purpose' (2017)

Directed by lasse hallström.

A Dogs Purpose - Owner and Dog Looking At Eachother

Josh Gad provides the voice of a dog who wonders about the purpose of his existence and, in 1961, he is rescued by his first owner, Ethan Montgomery, a 9-year-old boy who loves him unconditionally for his entire life. When the dog dies, he is reincarnated each time and through the years, he bonds with a new owner and finally learns about the true meaning of his existence.

A Dog's Purpose is an intriguing take on the world from the perspective of a dog, giving audiences a touching glimpse into the influence and impact a dog can have on so many different lives. Even though the movie received mixed to negative reviews, it's impossible not to praise A Dog's Purpose and its sentimental value, heightened by a stunning musical score composed by Rachel Portman . Despite not being an everyday dog movie, A Dog's Purpose is still worth watching if not for the formula but for the heartwarming message it effortlessly conveys .

A Dog's Purpose

3 'turner & hooch' (1989), directed by roger spottiswoode.

Tom Hanks sitting next to the dog Hooch in Turner & Hooch (1989)

Tom Hanks stars in Turner & Hooch as a by-the-book police detective, Scott Turner, who is preparing to be transferred from his small coastal California town to the big city where he can fight real crime. When a friend of Turner's, Amos Reed (J ohn McIntire ), is found murdered under mysterious circumstances, Turner is given custody of Amos' French Mastiff, Hooch, who is the only witness to the crime.

While the movie is both humorous and heartbreaking, Turner & Hooch is without question a quintessential dog movie that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. The film is essentially a canine twist on a dynamic similar to The Odd Couple, resulting in hilarious shenanigans and a relationship that mixes as well as water and vinegar, but through patience and understanding, it eventually finds its blend . The movie was a hit at the box office and aside from a few mixed reviews, Turner & Hooch was well received by audiences and critics, making it a top-tier canine classic.

Turner & Hooch

2 'marley & me' (2008), directed by david frankel.

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star in Marley & Me as newlyweds, John and Jenny Grogan, who decide to adopt a yellow labrador puppy who they name Marley. As the couple go through the stages of life such as kids, moving, and major milestones, Marley is there for every single one, ensuring there's never a dull moment for the Grogan family.

Warning: Marley & Me will require plenty of tissues and potentially a dog (or several) in proximity for cuddles because this is one movie ending that will start the waterworks. The movie is based on the 2005 memoir by the same name written by John Grogan and also stars Kathleen Turner , Alan Arkin , and Ann Dowd . Aside from an ending that will make anyone an emotional mess, Marley & Me captures the ups and downs, humor, and overall experience of having a dog in your life as well as the everlasting paw print they leave on your heart forever .

Marley & Me (2008)

1 'hachi: a dog's tale' (2009), directed by lasse hollström.

When a professor, Parker Wilson ( Richard Gere ) finds a young dog abandoned at the train station, he takes him in just temporarily. As time passes and no one comes to claim the dog, he and his wife, Cate ( Joan Allen ) begin to warm up the Akita dog, named Hachi, who soon becomes part of the family. Wilson and Hachi eventually develop a routine that involves Hachi waiting for his owner every day at the train station to greet him and walking home with him, proving to be the utter symbol of loyalty.

Hachi: A Dog's Tale is a remake of the 1987 Japanese film, Hachikō Monogatari, and based on the true story of an Akita dog named Hachikō. The movie earned positive reviews from critics, including Christopher Lloyd of the Sarasota Herald Tribune , who gave the movie three out of four stars, stating that it is "unapologetically a tearjerker." Hachi: A Dog's Tale is another bittersweet rendition of a loyal companion who teaches others about the true meaning of love and loyalty, which continues to be passed down through his incredible story that is still celebrated today .

KEEP READING: 17 Sad Movies That Will Make Want to Hug Your Dog

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‘The Friend’ Review: Naomi Watts, Bill Murray And A GREAT Great Dane Make A Heartwarming And Human Story Irresistible – Telluride Film Festival

By Pete Hammond

Pete Hammond

Awards Columnist/Chief Film Critic

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It all opens with a dinner party where we meet Walter and his group of wives, lovers and longtime friend Iris as they converse in one of those very New York brownstones, a group of intelligentsia at a seemingly normal gathering. But shockingly it is followed closely by the same group and others at the funeral for Walter, who we learn committed suicide leaving behind his group of loved ones and admirers to wonder why he left them this way, and one loyal grieving dog wondering the same thing.

First wife Elaine ( Carla Gugino ), second wife Tuesday ( Constance Wu ), daughter Val (Sarah Pidgeon) who most didn’t know he even had, neighbor Marjorie ( Ann Dowd ) and publisher Jerry (Josh Pais) weave in and out of Iris’ situation with Apollo and her impending eviction if she doesn’t get rid of him. We learn much about their lives and the effect this man had on them, and especially the unique friendship Iris had with Walter. There is also a slow bonding with this depressed canine that, despite her best efforts to move on from this moment, makes it nearly impossible to do so humanely. But no, this is defiantly not a dog movie, but one where this animal, not up to any cutesy tricks, feels every bit a character like any of the humans here. It is also very much about grief and all the questions posed when a friend takes their life, senselessly it seems. How do you deal with what is left behind?

And yes, what happens to the dog?

McGehee and Siegel ( The Deep End, What Maisie Knew ) have crafted a wonderfully human, quintessential New York movie that makes you realize Hollywood so rarely does this kind of thing anymore — so when you see it, you know it, and you treasure the fact these are recognizable human beings we can relate to. That goes especially for Iris, a flustered woman but a good person trying to make the best of this situation, for both her and Apollo. Watts is consistently fine in just about everything but here has one of the best roles of her career, never going over the top but subtly perfect in every way as she also has to deal with her own loss. She also narrates the story and at one point muses about other dog movies like Old Yeller where the four-legged star dies, and she asks why that has to be the case. She probably has the best screen leading male she has ever worked with in Apollo, a remarkable and heartfelt performance that ranks with the great screen dog portrayals of all time. Bing, a non-pro who turned up in a casting search, plays him, and his own morose heartbreak will also break yours . Big shout-out to trainer/owner Bev Kingensmith and trainer Bill Berloni. Give this dog an Oscar.

The supporting cast is excellent, and of course Murray is right on the money making his few scenes sparkle. New York City has also never looked better, so shout out as well to cinematographer Giles Nuttgens.

The film is having its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and will also be playing Toronto and New York fests as well. It is looking for distribution and hopefully finds one that will give it all the treats it deserves. The Friend is a gem.

Producers are McGehee, Siegel, Mike Spreter and Liza Chasin.

Title: The Friend Festival: Telluride Director-screenwriters: Scott McGehee & David Siegel Cast: Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Carla Gugino, Constance Wu, Noma Dumezweni, Sarah Pidgeon, Chloe Xhauflaire, Ann Dowd, Felix Solis, Tom McCarthy, Owen Teague, Josh Pais, Apollo Sales agent: CAA Running time: 2 hr 3 mins

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‘The Friend’ Review: Naomi Watts Inherits a Handful in a Dog Movie That’s Really About Accepting Mortality

It takes a certain kind of person to adopt a Great Dane. That person dies early in 'The Friend,' leaving Naomi Watts to deal with his poor pooch in a slender adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s novel.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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Before his death, French actor Alain Delon had said that he wished for his dog, Loubo, to be put down when he passed. Delon believed the bond between him and his rescued Belgian Malinois was so strong that the dog would miss him dearly when he died and preferred to spare his pet such pain. (In the end, Delon’s children assured the press that Loubo would be spared.)

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For co-directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee, landing Murray for what amounts to an extended cameo was quite the coup: The role demands an actor whose presence is felt even when he’s off-screen, and whose charms might spare such a problematic character. Personally, I had a hard time keeping Walter’s exes straight, as this serial womanizer’s funeral is attended by his first, second and third wives — Elaine (Carla Gugino), Tuesday (Constance Wu) and Barbara (Noma Dumezweni), respectively — as well as an adult daughter, Val (Sarah Pidgeon), and several friends, of which Iris is presumably one.

At two hours, “The Friend” seems rather long, and light on incident, to serve simply as an animal-adoption tale, so better to dig in and let it work on an emotional level, where your personal history — of loved ones lost, animals adopted and so on — drives how much you take away from the experience. A friend recently told me that dogs were put on this earth to help humans to grieve, which struck me as a rather self-centered way of looking at it, though it’s true that their lives are shorter than ours, and losing one forces us to look mortality in the face.

Why did Walter think Iris would be the right person to care for Apollo? She lives alone in a tiny rent-controlled apartment on Washington Place where pets are explicitly forbidden. Iris and Walter shared a dark sense of humor, making jokes about suicide (e.g., “The more suicidal people there are, the less suicidal people there are”). But she never expected him to actually go through with it. Now he’s gone, and she’ll never know what he was thinking. That’s the cruelty of suicide: It leaves the survivors with so many mysteries.

Iris reluctantly accepts the responsibility of rehoming Apollo, seeing in this majestic animal — “the king of dogs,” one of her students (Owen Teague) calls it — both a constant reminder of her dead friend and a living creature who now depends on her to survive. Iris’ affable but strict building manager (Felix Solis) makes clear that dogs aren’t allowed in the apartments, and Apollo is far too large to sneak past him in her purse. A friendly neighbor (Ann Dowd) seems supportive, but what must it be like to have such a beast knocking around next door? Complaints are just a matter of time.

I can hardly imagine a more impractical pet for a New York apartment, and a Great Dane is even more intimidating in the streets of Manhattan, which is precisely what makes “The Friend” compelling. There are scenes of Apollo dragging Iris by its leash, and others where he refuses to budge. In an in-joke for movie buffs, “Everybody’s Talkin’” plays over shots of Iris walking Apollo through New York crowds (though this film can’t touch “Midnight Cowboy” in earning the emotional wallop at the end).

Dog lovers will appreciate “The Friend” regardless, even if it all resolves too easily. Before Iris can save Apollo, she must decide that she really wants to keep him — and in doing so, she must accept responsibility for his life … and the fact this 5-year-old animal is now closer to the end than the beginning. “The Friend” functions as a lesson in grief, but also as an exercise in pre-grieving.

To the extent that “The Friend” intends to provide catharsis, it helps if Iris and others express strong emotions. The movie’s therapy scene is a good start, but the very next one, in which Iris confronts the ghost of Walter, is too contived. Of course the character, who is a creatively blocked author herself, would seek a way to write about this experience. But is this really the book Walter hoped his star pupil would produce? Dead or not, friends don’t let friends write junk fiction.

Reviewed at CAA screening room, Los Angeles, Aug. 27, 2024. In Telluride, Toronto film festivals. Running time: 123 MIN.

Production: A Big Creek production, in association with 3dot Prods. (World sales: CAA, Los Angeles.) Producers: Scott McGehee, David Siegel, Mike Spreter, Liza Chasin. Executive producers: Margaret Chernin, Naomi Watts.
Crew: Directors, writers: David Siegel, Scott McGehee, based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez. Camera: Giles Nuttgens. Editor: Isaac Hagy. Music: Trevor Gureckis, Jay Wadley.
With: Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Sarah Pidgeon, Constance Wu, Ann Dowd, Noma Dumezweni, Felix Solis, Owen Teague, Carla Gugino.

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Wag the Dog movie review & film summary (1998)
Barry Levinson's "Wag the Dog" cites Grenada as an example of how easy it is to whip up patriotic frenzy, and how dubious the motives sometimes are. The movie is a satire that contains just enough realistic ballast to be teasingly plausible; like " Dr. Strangelove," it makes you laugh, and then it makes you wonder.
Wag the Dog Movie Review
Kids say (1 ): Leaving the politics of the film aside, it's very well done. DeNiro is clearly having a great time playing a political mastermind dressed as a college professor, and Hoffman is irresistible as the megalomaniacal producer who's always got a story of how producing a movie is harder than producing a war.
Wag the Dog
Two weeks prior to reelection, the United States president lands in the middle of a sex scandal. In need of outside help to quell the situation, presidential adviser Winifred Ames (Anne Heche ...
Wag the Dog (1997)
Wag the Dog: Directed by Barry Levinson. With Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Woody Harrelson. Shortly before an election, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a Presidential sex scandal.
Wag the Dog
Full Review | Jan 2, 2018. 'Wag the Dog,' a movie that's fun to see more than once, comes across as a bitingly funny satire of politics, the media and show business. Full Review | Sep 25, 2011 ...
Wag the Dog (1997)
Barry Levinson's under-rated "Wag the Dog" is a brilliant piece of satire which is to the 1990s what "All the President's Men" was to the 1970s. The president is in trouble after a sexual scandal with an under-aged girl. Enter Robert DeNiro and Anne Heche who want to distract the nation with something else as they try to get their boss out of ...
'Wag the Dog'
A.O. Scott reviews Barry Levinson's 1997 film about a Washington fixer and a Hollywood producer who band together to create a politically expedient but entir...
Wag the Dog
This is entirely appropriate, since everything we learn about the man is a shadowy, insubstantial fabrication. To avoid making Wag the Dog sound too much like an intellectual challenge, let me make this clarification: the movie is intelligent, but it's also a lot of fun. This is the kind of film that you can laugh and think your way through.
‎Wag the Dog (1997) directed by Barry Levinson
Synopsis. A comedy about truth, justice and other special effects. During the final weeks of a presidential race, the President is accused of sexual misconduct. To distract the public until the election, the President's adviser hires a Hollywood producer to help him stage a fake war. Remove Ads.
Wag the Dog
New Line Cinema. 1 h 37 m. Summary Wickedly fictional with historical overtones truer than many care to admit, Wag The Dog examines the blurred lines between politics, the media and show business. (New Line Productions) Comedy. Drama. Directed By: Barry Levinson. Written By: Larry Beinhart, Hilary Henkin, David Mamet.
Wag The Dog (1997) Review
Wag The Dog (1997) Review. I can vividly remember the opening night for Wag the Dog. It was back in 1997, I was in high school becoming a budding film lover, and I went with a group of friends to see this bitter black comedy about Hollywood and politics and I can remember being one of the few people in the theater who seemed to love what they ...
Wag the Dog (1997)
When the CIA learns of the plot, they send Agent Young (William H. Macy) to confront Brean about the hoax. Brean convinces Young that revealing the deception is against his and the CIA's best interests. But when the CIA - in collusion with the President's rival candidate - reports that the war did happen but is drawing to an end, the media ...
Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog 1998, R, 105 min. Directed by Barry Levinson. Starring Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Kirsten Dunst, Willie Nelson, Anne Heche, Denis Leary. REVIEWED By ...
Wag The Dog Review
12 Mar 1998. Running Time: 97 minutes. Certificate: 15. Original Title: Wag The Dog. The President Of The United States is found having a quick shag so a spin doctor stages a war to divert ...
Wag the Dog (1997)
Description by Wikipedia. Wag the Dog is a 1997 black comedy film produced and directed by Barry Levinson. The screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet was loosely adapted from Larry Beinhart's novel American Hero. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, with Anne Heche, Denis Leary, and William H. Macy in supporting roles.
Movie Reviews for Wag the Dog by the Readers of The BigScreen Cinema Guide
Movie reviews written by readers of The BigScreen Cinema Guide -- movie enthusiasts, not professional movie critics. ... Wag the Dog Academy Award® Nominee A Hollywood producer. A Washington spin-doctor. When they get together, they can make you believe anything.
Wag the Dog Movie Reviews
Ryan's World the Movie: Hero Bundle Get two tickets, a mystery toy, and more! Ticket and a Tee pack! Get a ticket and a Team USA Minions T-Shirt! ... Wag the Dog Critic Reviews and Ratings Powered by Rotten Tomatoes Rate Movie. Close Audience Score. The percentage of users who made a verified movie ticket purchase and rated this 3.5 stars or ...
Wag the Dog movie review
Wag the Dog movie review. Wag the Dog is an incredibly witty movie, a rare blend of cynicism, humour, and intelligence. The movie is about a spin doctor working for the Presidential re-election campaign, who must create a situation that will distract the public from the President's scandalous affairs. To this end, Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro ...
Wag the dog
Wag the dog is, as a political term, the act of creating a diversion from a damaging issue usually through military force. It stems from the generic use of the term to mean a small and seemingly unimportant entity (the tail) controls a bigger, more important one (the dog). It is usually used by a politician when they are in a scandal, in hopes ...
WAG THE DOG
WAG THE DOG is a frightening commentary on media manipulation. Much of the humor in this movie comes from the depths that these folks will sink to create a complete fabrication about the integrity of the presidency. The movie suggests that the president's own advisors, the CIA and the media can be swayed to propagate lies.
Wag the Dog
Movie Review Wag the Dog A comedy about truth, justice and other special effects. US Release Date: 12-25-1997. Directed by: Barry Levinson. Starring &rtrif; &dtrif; ... Wag the Dog is an insightful look at how the government and media can be manipulative by feeding a population whatever information they want.
The Political Satire Film "Wag the Dog" Essay (Movie Review)
Wathe g the Dog is a 1997 film produced by Barry Levinson starring Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman (Ebert, 1998). It co-starred Denis Leary, Anne Heche, and William Macy. Get a custom essay on The Political Satire Film "Wag the Dog". The film focuses on a Washington spin-doctor who hires a film producer to develop a false war in order to ...
10 Best Dog Movies, Ranked
Hachi: A Dog's Tale is a remake of the 1987 Japanese film, Hachikō Monogatari, and based on the true story of an Akita dog named Hachikō. The movie earned positive reviews from critics ...
'The Friend' Review: Naomi Watts, Bill Murray And A Scene-Stealing Dog
A review of 'The Friend' with Naomi Watts grieving the suicide of best friend played by Bill Murray who leaves behind a Great Dane for her to keep.
'The Friend' Review: Naomi Watts Inherits a Handful
'The Friend' Review: Naomi Watts Inherits a Handful in a Dog Movie That's Really About Accepting Mortality Reviewed at CAA screening room, Los Angeles, Aug. 27, 2024. In Telluride, Toronto ...

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A comedy about truth, justice and other special effects.

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