Wag the Dog

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Wag the Dog

R

1997

1h 37m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

78 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Two weeks prior to reelection, the United States president lands in the middle of a sex scandal. In need of outside help to quell the situation, presidential adviser Winifred Ames enlists the expertise of spin doctor Conrad Brean, who decides a distraction is the best course of action. Brean approaches Hollywood producer Stanley Motss to help him fabricate a war in Albania -- and once underway, the duo has the media entirely focused on the war.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Jason Bailey

Vice

01/02/2018

If anything, in the years since its release, the worlds of politics, entertainment, and news media have grown even more intertwined in which narratives are carefully controlled and expectations are minimal.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

03/30/2009

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

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Time Out

01/26/2006

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.

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Matthew Rozsa

Democracy at Work (Substack)

Jan 7

3.5/4

Once you start to exhibit healthy skepticism toward the government’s actions and motives, they start to seem less like an Orwellian superstate and more like a collection of cocky crooks just one step ahead of the good guys.

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

01/19/2023

B+

The idea sags near the end, but for some time, it is right on.

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

01/07/2023

4/4

...I’ll simply let the movie explain itself and recommend it highly for anyone interested in satirical filmmaking.

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J B

@Hooly Nov 4

A better explanation of amercan politics, one could not wish to see. Based on a true story, the real politic of life at the coalface of power. Great performances all round, blend reality until you realise there's no such thing. A masterpiece of the truth? How would you know?

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Blu B

@RT43513976 Oct 22

A Political Comedy Classic. Good soundtrack when used but I wish it was a bit more catchy on it's own. Everything else is really good. It's effectively a satire on politics, patriotism, and the media in more ways than one. Great direction by Levinson also. As good as this is, this isn't for everyone. This is not a Adam Sandler type comedy with slapsticks, references, and fart jokes. It's really intelligent satire driven by really sharp dialouge and a crackerjack script. It just keeps throwing one thing after another and the situation just gets more and more ridiculous. You laugh at the situation, sharp lines, and think about the underlying commentary while you do it. 95% of this film is about war, hostages, and action but there is hardly any action to speak of. It's very much just smart, quirky, and interesting characters talking and planning. It kind of reminds me of an Ocean's type film in a sense without the lavish locations. If there is one issue it's really that it can get very wordy sometimes and a bit hard to follow in the particulars at times. So it does break the comedic pacing a bit when you have to think more than laugh sometimes. Overall, if your a fan of any actors here, Levinson, political films, or more intelligent type comedies give this a shot.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 22

Funny in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $43,000,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Nick E

@nicksmovies93 Jul 12

This political satire is universally timely and ultimately funny.

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Isa B

@RT32418990 11/05/2024

An entertaining satire of American politics. It features good performances from a great cast. A good film. I recommend. 80/100

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David F

@dfulmer 10/17/2024

This political satire is a little dated in some of its details but its scathing attitude towards political scandals and cover ups is timeless.

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Barry Levinson

Director

Dustin Hoffman

Stanley Motss

Robert De Niro

Conrad Brean

Anne Heche

Winifred Ames

Woody Harrelson

Sgt. William Schumann

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Synopsis

Two weeks prior to reelection, the United States president lands in the middle of a sex scandal. In need of outside help to quell the situation, presidential adviser Winifred Ames enlists the expertise of spin doctor Conrad Brean, who decides a distraction is the best course of action. Brean approaches Hollywood producer Stanley Motss to help him fabricate a war in Albania -- and once underway, the duo has the media entirely focused on the war.

Director: Barry Levinson
Producer: Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal
Screenwriter: Larry Beinhart, Hilary Henkin, David Mamet
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: Tribeca Productions, New Line Cinema, Baltimore Pictures, Punch Productions
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.0M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Stereo, SDDS, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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