Wag the Dog

Wag the Dog (1997)

  • 85% of critics liked it
    (72 reviews)

  • 72% of users liked it
    (41,699 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

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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
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.

  • Lucy Mohl, Film.com

    When the film makes the leap from plausibly outrageous to pure satire, it slips, and the logic goes with it.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Anthony L


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

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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