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Wag The Dog
1997
The president of the United States is caught up in a scandal so his White House advisor decides a war is needed to divert attention. Unfortunately there is no war - so they decide to fake one... Read more
| Starring | Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche, Denis Leary |
|---|---|
| Director | Barry Levinson |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Wag The Dog
The president of the United States is caught up in a scandal so his White House advisor decides a war is needed to divert attention. Unfortunately there is no war - so they decide to fake one...
| Starring | Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Woody Harrelson |
|---|---|
| Director | Barry Levinson |
| Studio | ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 33 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 21 May 1999 Production year: 1997 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Shot by Barry Levinson in a mere 29 days, this satire on the media and politics is a joy from start to finish. Just before an election, the US President is accused of molesting a teenage girl in the Oval Office. Keen to divert interest away from the scandal, he orders his spin doctors to come up with something quickly. In consultation with a Hollywood producer, they invent a war against Albania. Of course, it's pure fiction — things like that don't happen in real life, do they? Yet, Wag the Dog suddenly found itself mentioned every night on the news as an embattled President Clinton tackled the Kosovo crisis and embarrassing questions about Monica Lewinsky. Robert De Niro is creepily effective as the tweedy, faceless spin doctor hired by White House aide Anne Heche, but best of all is Dustin Hoffman, who gives a hilarious performance as the tanned Hollywood mogul.
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"...As scarily plausible as it is swift, hilarious and impossible to resist....Splendidly acted, written with biting acuity...and directed in discreetly sidesplitting fashion..."
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Most helpful member's review
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Hoffman is a god
Apparently no studio wanted to touch this film because it was such a political hot potato...
So hoffman dipped into his own pockets, went it alone and produced this one himself.
You can see why the studios were nervous. This plot is almost biographical of Clinton and a bit of a few other presidents...maybe...if you believe the conspiracy theorists.
But the plot is feasible and well directed to produce a film that almost feels like real news.
Add to your queue for sure. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Excellent Satire, Poor Development.
• Want to know how to make a film? With war in Albany? Terrorism in Canada? Political elections intrigue? Even a mock Band Aid and war heroes? There you go! Only here the film is not screened in your local cinema, but on the TV News; and the script is not written to entertain an audience, but to manipulate the masses.
• This intelligent script shows you the making of the events you see on TV. The satire – hilarious – invites you to wonder when it starts, and when reality stops… So if you don’t like being played when you watch the news, this might interest you.
• Now, the actors are good enough, but Levinson didn’t seem to take his directing too seriously. It lacks of nerve, the camera is simplistic, the light cheap, the action too slow and not sustained by any suspense or atmosphere… It looks a bit dull.
• You have a good time with the first hour, and then the story dissolves in a vague sense of absurdity.
• The book deserved better treatment.
• To be seen for the excellent and, still, hilarious, satire. -
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