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Movies / On DVD / Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog

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Wag the Dog (1997)

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Reviews Counted:70

Fresh:59

Rotten:11

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: Smart, well-acted, and uncomfortably prescient political satire from director Barry Levinson and and all-star cast.

Runtime: 2 hrs 25 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: When a Firefly Girl accuses the president of sexual misconduct in the Oval Office less than two weeks before the upcoming election, White House official Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) is told to bring... When a Firefly Girl accuses the president of sexual misconduct in the Oval Office less than two weeks before the upcoming election, White House official Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) is told to bring in Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro) to fix the situation and save the president's chances for reelection. This mysterious "fixer" fabricates a conflict with Albania in an effort to detract attention from the sex scandal, bringing in legendary Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to "produce" the war. When the CIA foils the initial plot, the creative team turns to a new story line, creating the saga of a U.S. soldier left behind enemy lines whom the president vows to find and return to American soil. Directed by Barry Levinson (DINER, RAIN MAN) and loosely based on Larry Beinhart's novel AMERICAN HERO, this merging of Hollywood and politics is both thought provoking and comical. The inspired casting of Hoffman as the self-absorbed producer and De Niro as the mysterious spin doctor is bolstered by a superb supporting cast that includes Denis Leary and Andrea Martin. [More]

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Denis Leary

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Kirsten Dunst, William H. Macy, Craig T. Nelson, Suzie Plakson, John Michael Higgins, Woody Harrelson, Michael Belson, Suzanne Cryer, Jason Cottle, David Koechner, Harland Williams, Sean Masterson, Bernard Hocke, Pops Staples

Director: Barry Levinson

Director: Barry Levinson
Producer: Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro, Barry Levinson
Story: Larry Beinhart
Screenwriter: Hilary Henkin, David Mamet
Composer: Mark Knopfler

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jul 1, 1998

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Wag the Dog

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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...Fun, but not very believable.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment 2 Comments
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

Barry Levinson has always had a wicked sense of humor, but never has it been in fuller flower.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

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 Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
10/18/08
Boston Phoenix

Smart political satire from director Barry Levinson.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/30/09
Channel 4 Film

Packed full of wickedly amusing details and expertly modulated performances.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A film that, for every scene of genuine hilarity, all too often just lies there smirking at itself about how darn clever it is.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
12/18/04
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Great acting, great filmmaking, half-realised idea -- but nonetheless entertaining.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob McCabe
Bob McCabe
Empire Magazine

Breezily entertaining, cannily crafted, sociopolitical satire that brandishes razor-sharp teeth.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Satuloff
Bob Satuloff
Film Journal International

Hoffman, De Niro and Heche all seem to have fun with David Mamet's screenplay, as do supporting players Denis Leary, William H. Macy and Willie Nelson.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Deep down, in the guts of the thing, the film's tone is as vicious as a junkyard dog, and just as mangy. Which is what great political satire is all about.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

The story is good, the comedy is goofy but still solid.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

The picture conveys an irresistible pleasure in fakery for its own sake, and that’s its charm.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Denby
David Denby
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Funny? Very. Original? Nah.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Hollywood meets Washington.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
04/29/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Very relevant not only for 1990s, but also for generations to come.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
03/03/04
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Prepare to laugh yourself silly, and let's all pray that the film is less true than it seems to be.

Full Review Source: NUVO Newsweekly | comment Comment
01/01/00
Edward Johnson-Ott
Edward Johnson-Ott
NUVO Newsweekly

Here's a delightfully screwball satire that's as enjoyable as your favorite ice cream on a hot summer day. Slick and smooth.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
Elias Savada
Elias Savada
Nitrate Online

Explores how the deliberate creation of unreality has become one of the most salient aspects of life in our times.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/01/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
10/30/06
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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all

Latest News for Wag the Dog

October 12, 2006: Box Office Guru Preview: "Grudge" Reborn at Box Office
With the pumpkin holiday approaching, Sony unleashes the terror with its frightfest "The Grudge 2" which aims to dominate the marketplace this weekend. More...

October 27, 2005: Levinson & De Niro to Pair Up for Tinseltown Satire
Variety brings news of an intriguing project that's being described as "Wag the Dog" of the moviemaking world." Robert De Niro will play the lead character in... More...

October 06, 2005: Robin Williams is Levinson's "Man"
According to Variety, Robin Williams will reunite with filmmaker Barry Levinson on the political comedy "Man of the Year." The actor and director previously worked... More...

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