Wag the Dog (1997)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers (WGA):

Larry Beinhart (book)
Hilary Henkin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A Hollywood producer. A Washington spin-doctor. When they get together, they can make you believe anything.

Plot:

Before elections, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to "fabricate" a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Scandal | Cover Up | Albania | Death

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Dustin Hoffman	...	Stanley Motss
Robert De Niro	...	Conrad Brean
Anne Heche	...	Winifred Ames
Denis Leary	...	Fad King
Willie Nelson	...	Johnny Dean
Andrea Martin	...	Liz Butsky
Kirsten Dunst	...	Tracy Lime
William H. Macy	...	CIA Agent Charles Young
John Michael Higgins	...	John Levy
Suzie Plakson	...	Grace
Woody Harrelson	...	Sergeant William Schumann
Michael Belson	...	President
Suzanne Cryer	...	Amy Cain
Jason Cottle	...	A.D.
David Koechner	...	Director

Also Known As:

Bite the Bullet (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) | Denmark:11 | Iceland:L | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:M | Brazil:18

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

During the course of the movie, a joking reference is made to James Belushi as an Albanian. In fact, Belushi is the son of an Albanian immigrant.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When the coffin is unloaded from the aircraft, the flag is positioned properly, with the blue field over deceased's left shoulder. At the memorial service, the blue is over the deceased's right shoulder.

Quotes:

Stanley Motss: This is politics at its finest.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Opération lune (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

GOD BLESS THE MEN OF THE 303

A truly great satire

It had been a while since I last watched this film, but I once again remembered the reasons why I loved it so. Thoughtful and evocative, this film really captured the nature of politics and spin doctoring. This certainly ranks as one of the best political comedies of all time. The over-the-top attitude of the film didn't detract from anything, making this still quite believable. It also demonstrated how people's emotions can be manipulated when aggressively attacked. The fragile nature of the human spirit tends to make us more susceptible to such manipulations, as demonstrated in this film. With the exception of Anne Heche, everyone's performance in this film was rather good. The only other downside was Mark Knopfler's score, which was completely out of place in this film.