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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]

Reviews for Wag the Dog

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Smart political satire from director Barry Levinson.

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

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/30/09
Sandra Contreras
Sandra Contreras
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/30/09
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

Twisty and flat-out hilarious.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
03/29/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
N/R

Click to read the article

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

Feels tossed-off and casual in the best way.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/24/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Strong performances abound in the film.

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
05/09/07
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
10/30/06
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

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

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
10/16/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Film Threat

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

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
09/17/05
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

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 Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

It is fun when people with Hollywood clout decide to do something as fast and loose as this...

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/29/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

It's half a brilliant political satire, half a wacky outrageous comedy of errors. The first half works, the second half doesn't.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

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

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Hollywood meets Washington.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
04/29/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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...

See All

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