Wag the Dog (1997)

85% of critics liked it
(72 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(42,211 ratings)

In a 29-day shoot, Barry Levinson filmed this $15 million political and media satire, adapted by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet from Larry Beinhart's novel, American Hero. Two weeks prior to re-election, the President (Michael Belson) is accused of cornering an underage girl in the Oval Office. To… More In a 29-day shoot, Barry Levinson filmed this $15 million political and media satire, adapted by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet from Larry Beinhart's novel, American Hero. Two weeks prior to re-election, the President (Michael Belson) is accused of cornering an underage girl in the Oval Office. To keep the media from learning of this, Presidential adviser Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) brings in political consultant and spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro), a specialist in such salvage operations. Brean suggests fabricating denials of non-existent emergencies -- such as denials about the B-3 bomber. The denial, of course, is true, since no B-3 bomber exists. Brean visits the mansion of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) and gives him the assignment to create a patriotic campaign centered around a war in Albania. Motss assembles a creative team -- Liz Butsky (Andrea Martin), the trend-setter Fad King (Denis Leary), and songwriter Johnny Green (Willie Nelson). Treated like an ad campaign, the songs and symbols are transmitted directly from a Hollywood soundstage to CNN. The star of their campaign is a "rescued" pilot -- in reality, a psychotic military prisoner (Woody Harrelson), who's a ticking time bomb. The flag-waving song, "The American Dream" was written for the film by Tom Bahler (who co-wrote "We Are the World"). Beinhart's original novel involved a real President (Bush), a real war (the Gulf War), and the premise that George Bush and Saddam Hussein staged it. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Barry Levinson
Written By: Hilary Henkin, David Mamet, Chloe King
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 25, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Jul 28, 1998
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Hilary Henkin and David Mamet's script is gleefully hyperbolic without ever straying from its political target.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Amusing as it is, Wag The Dog does what it purports to sat irize -- the bark is real but the teeth aren't.
Godfrey Cheshire, Variety
The pacing is crisp, the dialogue quippy and fast, the tone arch but energetic.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
A wicked smart satire on the interlocking worlds of politics and show business, Wag the Dog confirms every awful thought you've ever had about media manipulation and the gullibility of the American public.
John Hartl, Film.com
Wag the Dog could have been a one-joke scenario, but it's consistently rescued from monotony by a smart script.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Absurd and convincing at the same time.
Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
'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.
Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
Entertaining, creepily resonant political comedy.
, Film4
Smart political satire from director Barry Levinson.
Sandra Contreras, TV Guide's Movie Guide
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.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Twisty and flat-out hilarious.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Feels tossed-off and casual in the best way.
Gary Brown, Houston Community Newspapers
Strong performances abound in the film.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
I doubt it will age as well as Network, but it is close to that realm of brilliance.
, Time Out
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.
Tom Meek, Film Threat
Beyond a couple of hilarious zingers, its impact feels smug and minor.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Brilliantly scripted and acted to the point where even Barry Levinson's typically uninspired direction doesn't matter.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
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.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
It is fun when people with Hollywood clout decide to do something as fast and loose as this...
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
It's half a brilliant political satire, half a wacky outrageous comedy of errors. The first half works, the second half doesn't.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lorenzo v

"A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow." Before elections, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to "fabricate" a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal. <center>"A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow." Before elections, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to "fabricate" a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal. <center>REVIEW</center> A political spin doctor, Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro), and a Hollywood producer, Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman), both well endowed with chutzpah, set out to create the illusion that the USA has gone to war with Albania, as a distraction from a Presidential sexual peccadillo. Made and released before the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal broke, it is not clear whether the movie's makers had great insight, or inside knowledge; either way, that episode adds to the interest and relevance of the film. De Niro and Hoffman are both brilliant, though understandably the latter seems especially to relish lampooning a film-world type he must have encountered many times in his career. Anne Heche is just right as a Presidential aide who previously thought she was streetwise, but faced with Brean and Motss realises she's a tyro in the kiddology game; and Woody Harrelson has a wonderful role as the man picked to play the war hero who just happens to be a psychotic convict. Among the targets of the satire are clearly the US political establishment, the broadcasting media and Hollywood; but there is a danger that the primary target may be overlooked, and it is worthwhile remembering the derivation of the film's title. Normally, the dog wags the tail because the dog's smarter than the tail; but if the tail was smarter, it would wag the dog; and there can be little doubt that the dog being wagged by Brean and Motss is the viewing and voting public.
Chris W

Two weeks before election day, news gets out that the U.S. President is accused of sexual misconduct with a minor. To divert attention away from the scandal and increase the president's chances of getting re-elected, a top political spin doctor named Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro)… More
Two weeks before election day, news gets out that the U.S. President is accused of sexual misconduct with a minor. To divert attention away from the scandal and increase the president's chances of getting re-elected, a top political spin doctor named Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) enlists the help of a big wig Hollywood producer named Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to help create a phony war with Albania. It's a smart and funny set up to begin with, but what really gives added edge and humor to this biting satire is that it was in production around the time of Bill Clinton's real life sex scandal, making the material even more relevant, intriguing, and thought provoking. This is some funny stuff (usually of the dark variety though), and it really makes you wonder about what actually goes on behind the scenes in Washington, and if the stuff the media feeds us cocncerning all things politics is legit or just the product of movie magic and trickery. Co-written by David Mamet and Hilary Henkin, and directed by Barry Levinson, this is a solid piece of work with an all star cast including (besides Hoffman and De Niro) Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, Kirsten Dunst, and Craig T. Nelson. They all deliver some good work, but it's definitely De Niro and Hoffman who steal the show. The film is quite sharp and very well done, but it also feels rather light at times, and it seems a little underwhelming with how it ends. It ended and I was like, "is that it?" So yeah, there's some flaws here, but those aside, this is some terrific stuff, so definitely check it out.
Jens S

One of the rare cases of reality catching up to a satire movie sooner than you can blink. The story of the spin doctors creating a fictitious war to distract from the US president's sex affair with a minor may sound over the top but is about as realistic as they come. Of course… More
One of the rare cases of reality catching up to a satire movie sooner than you can blink. The story of the spin doctors creating a fictitious war to distract from the US president's sex affair with a minor may sound over the top but is about as realistic as they come. Of course the details get more and more outrageous, as they should in a decent media satire. The acting is top notch, deNiro and Hoffman are particularly hilarious, the writing smart and poignant. The things the film has to say about politics and media are sad, funny and true, yet it's never preachy and stays entertaining and tongue in cheek.
moon r

"Political crisis"? Here's a bit that enlightens that particular oxymoron. Starts with a bang but finishes less than so yet is nonetheless entertaining. Hoffman is touching as the artist dying for attention and Deniro turns in a working man's performance as the… More
"Political crisis"? Here's a bit that enlightens that particular oxymoron. Starts with a bang but finishes less than so yet is nonetheless entertaining. Hoffman is touching as the artist dying for attention and Deniro turns in a working man's performance as the Washington smooze, sure of his power.
Sanjaya &

Yet, another brilliant movie from Barry Levinson I already watched besides 'Rain Man'... The story about president's sex scandal just a few days before election and they hire a great Hollywood producer for making an excuse to cover-up the scandals and it turns into a… More
Yet, another brilliant movie from Barry Levinson I already watched besides 'Rain Man'... The story about president's sex scandal just a few days before election and they hire a great Hollywood producer for making an excuse to cover-up the scandals and it turns into a huge success... An Oscar nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay proves that the story of this movie was great... Yet, Dustin Hoffman gave another Oscar-worth performance to watch and he earned it by playing a successful Hollywood producer who never gets a credit for his work, but when his masterpiece for covering president's sex scandal was a huge success, he betrays the agreement and trying to tell the American of this masterpiece... Robert DeNiro and Anne Heche gave another great performance too, and the cast become more outstanding with another performance from Woody Harrelson, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, even short William H. Macy performance... Overall, this movie was totally recommended by me as you will know a little more trick about making movies in Hollywood, but this movie has pretty much scenes with a long conversation and they talked about politics, so don't watch if you can't stand again politics movie before, even I admit I can't stand political movies before but I love this one...
Dan S

An entertaining if flawed satire concerning a spin doctor (Robert De Niro) and a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) and how they come to the aide of the President of the United States after he's accused of having an affair with an underage girl two weeks before the election.… More
An entertaining if flawed satire concerning a spin doctor (Robert De Niro) and a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) and how they come to the aide of the President of the United States after he's accused of having an affair with an underage girl two weeks before the election. While the pace is appropriately fast-paced, it is deliberately this way so you don't get to thinking about the plot-holes this movie possesses (such as the way the press would cover this story - no one from the press would want to be present in Albania covering it from a first-person perspective?). It is well-made though, and Hoffman is an absolute blast in this, with enough comic relief put in place (Willie Nelson and Woody Harrelson, to name a few) to compensate for the few problems it has. If you want to see an effective, funny film concerning politics and people's belief in the press - this is the movie for you.
Anthony L

Clever idea but very poorly executed in my opinion. Nice to see Dustin Hoffman & Robert De Niro acting together though!
Luke B

A very observational satirical comedy that could have had more of an impact, if it had taken things more seriously. The film is still relevant today, as a White House spin doctor and a Hollywood producer team up in an attempt to cover up a sex scandal. They create a fake war/conflict… More
A very observational satirical comedy that could have had more of an impact, if it had taken things more seriously. The film is still relevant today, as a White House spin doctor and a Hollywood producer team up in an attempt to cover up a sex scandal. They create a fake war/conflict with varying degrees of laughs. A fake bit of footage, a song or two and Woody Harrelson's convict/"war hero". De Niro and Hoffman are fantastic and are supported by a large array of talent in smaller roles. Wag the Dog shows how unscrupulous politicians and Hollywood producers can be. The scariest thing about this film is that it isn't too far fetched to believe something like this could happen
Ross C

Hilarious political satire about the lengths spin doctors will go to secure the re-election of a president. A great cast list, with the pairing of De Niro & Dustin Hoffman, in particular, making a surprisingly good comedy duo. In the late-90s this could easily have been mistaken… More
Hilarious political satire about the lengths spin doctors will go to secure the re-election of a president. A great cast list, with the pairing of De Niro & Dustin Hoffman, in particular, making a surprisingly good comedy duo. In the late-90s this could easily have been mistaken for yet another conspiracy theory movie, but more than 10 years later it's almost prophetic!
Daniel J D

There's a lot to love about this film, just not enough to give it 4 or more stars.
Chris G

Before Meet the Fockers De Niro and Hoffman came together in the political comedy Wag the Dog. De Niro plays a spin doctor for an incumbent President seeking re-election who is facing a sex scandal. He enlists the help of a Hollywood producer (Hoffman) and his clan to produce a war to… More
Before Meet the Fockers De Niro and Hoffman came together in the political comedy Wag the Dog. De Niro plays a spin doctor for an incumbent President seeking re-election who is facing a sex scandal. He enlists the help of a Hollywood producer (Hoffman) and his clan to produce a war to deflect the public eye from the indiscretion. Yes, the film is a comedy but what's really scary is that you can really see how this could be happening right now. Do you really trust the government enough to believe that these two guys don't have real life counterparts on the payroll.You'll laugh at the absurdity, but it will still seem possible. This is a more mature Dave or The American President. There isn't really a happy ending in sight. The goal is for everyone to keep their job. A good movie for election year viewing.
Tsubaki S

This rings even more true today, the thing is, the Irak war was not faked at all. Hoffman was very fun to watch, and Woody Harrelson steals the whole thing near the end with a brief but hillarious role. Mamet might bee a conservative idiot, but he still can write good stuff from time… More
This rings even more true today, the thing is, the Irak war was not faked at all. Hoffman was very fun to watch, and Woody Harrelson steals the whole thing near the end with a brief but hillarious role. Mamet might bee a conservative idiot, but he still can write good stuff from time to time.
Aaron N

CIA Agent Mr. Young: There are two things I know to be true. There's no difference between good flan and bad flan, and there is no war." A very funny, smart political satire about spinning the truth. When the president is in trouble a week before election time, a spin… More
CIA Agent Mr. Young: There are two things I know to be true. There's no difference between good flan and bad flan, and there is no war." A very funny, smart political satire about spinning the truth. When the president is in trouble a week before election time, a spin doctor, played by Robert De Niro, is called in to fix things. His plan: produce a war on television to keep the American public's attention elsewhere. To do this they enlist a big Hollywood producer, played by Dustin Hoffman, to get all the necessary elements to produce a war. Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman play very well off each other, and the rest of the cast, which includes Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, and Woody Harrelson, is in very good form as well. The script was written by David Mamet, and his fast and sharp dialog propels the movie forward even more. There are some very funny moments that have points of making one wonder how off the truth this can really be, even if the situations go more and more out there. Director Barry Levinson once again shows how effective his balance of tone separating the satire from the more overtly humorous moments, as well as making this a well directed film in general. Particularly effective are the moments involving the actual work put into giving the impression of a war and Hoffman's performance that earned him an Oscar nomination. Conrad 'Connie' Brean: What's the thing people remember about the Gulf War? A bomb falling down a chimney. Let me tell you something: I was in the building where we filmed that with a 10-inch model made out of Legos. Stanley Motss: Is that true? Conrad 'Connie' Brean: Who the hell's to say?
Tim S

Funny. I wish I was smarter.
xGary X

The selling point for this film is obviously the pairing of De Niro and Hoffman, but for me it was the potential in the idea; that backroom spin doctors manufacture a war to deflect attention from a presidential sex scandal. The initial scenes when De Niro the fixer bustles into the… More
The selling point for this film is obviously the pairing of De Niro and Hoffman, but for me it was the potential in the idea; that backroom spin doctors manufacture a war to deflect attention from a presidential sex scandal. The initial scenes when De Niro the fixer bustles into the white house and brainstorms ideas ("why Albania?" "Why not?") and later the quickfire banter between he and Hoffman are great fun. But soonafter the satirical bite is replaced by rather feeble farce, a turn for the worse reinforced by Heche's sitcom acting talents and Woody Harrelson's buck-toothed redneck soldier. This could've been a brilliant political satire, but ultimately this dog proved to be toothless.
Leigh R

Ehhh!
Michael G

Just okay. The performances are kind of worthwhile...
Jeffrey M

One of the best political satires of the past 20 years, Wag the Dog is intelligent, always funny, and especially relevant today (one can't help thinking of the parallels between the Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman fables). Some may be turned off by its' unrelenting and… More
One of the best political satires of the past 20 years, Wag the Dog is intelligent, always funny, and especially relevant today (one can't help thinking of the parallels between the Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman fables). Some may be turned off by its' unrelenting and extreme cynicism, but sadly Wag the Dog is far more accurate than something like the West Wing or American President.
Alec B

This movie was overhyped for me. I knew that the plot was ridiculous going into the film, but I expected the film to follow that same feeling. Unfortunately Barry Levinson films it with realism, which makes the satire of this "fake war" just seem out of place. Most of the… More
This movie was overhyped for me. I knew that the plot was ridiculous going into the film, but I expected the film to follow that same feeling. Unfortunately Barry Levinson films it with realism, which makes the satire of this "fake war" just seem out of place. Most of the movie feels void of life or energy. I appreciate what was trying to be done in the screenplay, but it was handled incorrectly by the director Barry Levinson.
ashley h

Great political comedy. Something a little too true about it though.Clinton ring a bell?!