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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 critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

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

It's a testament to what happens when all the right ingredients come together.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Walter V. Addiego
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Examiner

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

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

Wicked, poisonous fun.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

As a cautionary tale, Wag the Dog may find itself somewhat in the position of preaching to the converted, but the pews will radiate with the sounds of laughter.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

The movie is intelligent, but it's also a lot of fun.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

The most ingenious and wicked political satire since Dr. Strangelove.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Strong performances abound in the film.

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

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

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

The pacing is crisp, the dialogue quippy and fast, the tone arch but energetic.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/14/01
Godfrey Cheshire
Godfrey Cheshire
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With this cast, Dog could use a much bigger bite.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today

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

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

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

Twisty and flat-out hilarious.

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

One of the most brilliant satires I have seen in quite a while.

Full Review Source: Matt's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Matt Easterbrook
Matt Easterbrook
Matt's Movie Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; 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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