Wag the Dog (1998)

Not only was Barry Levinson's comedy shot in a relatively fast period of 29 days, the satire of politics and show business feels as if it were made yesterday. There's a fresh spin quite evident here, a nervy satire of a presidential crisis and the people who whitewash the facts. The main players are a mysterious Mr. Fix-It (Robert De Niro), veteran Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman), and a White House aide (Anne Heche). Can the president's molesting of a young girl be buried in the two weeks before an election? A war in Albania just might do the trick. In the good old days, the president would just invade. With modern technology, it's even cleaner. The hungry press looks for any lead, convenient misinformation is created by the latest Hollywood fakery ("all developed by the new James Cameron film") creating images and merchandise all instantly packaged. And it must be real, because it's on TV. David Mamet's script never questions the morals or the absolute secrecy needed to pull this thing off. He and director Barry Levinson have enough truth in the story to make you wonder what is real news and what is just promotion the next time you see CNN. Many of the supporting players impact the story with mere presence: Denis Leary as a quote man, Willie Nelson as a songwriter. The three leads are magnificent. With the similarities between history and this film, Wag will forever linked to the Monica Lewinsky saga. This video version contains a new minidocumentary focusing on the parallels of the film with the Bill Clinton scandal, including comments from director Barry Levinson and hosted by newsman Tom Brokaw. --Doug Thomas Amazon.com essential video

The Truth is Something Else"

"Wag the Dog" should become an essential and enduring commentary about the influential role of broadcast media in modern life. Though comedic on the surface, it has a dark undercurrent. A U. S. President (modeled after Bill Clinton?) has a sexual impropriety in the Whitehouse two weeks before the election which would give to him a second term. "Media Fixer" Robert De Niro links up with film producer Dustin Hoffman to produce a military action against Albanian terrorists in order to divert news from the President. The uproarious and rapid-fire development of the successful media plot is riveting. However, in the end, after one stops laughing, a person ponders "Shouldn't it be true? I saw it on television." A cautionary tale, perhaps the truth is something else. August 31, 2008

"Wag" doesn't go out of style

As crazy as the first time I saw it. Makes me laugh. Makes me think. Harrellson is hilarious. August 2, 2008

Fun, smart movie

This is a great movie, with enough intelligence and star power to keep even the most politically apathetic date entertained throughout. Highly recommended. June 16, 2008

Not a Happy Camper

I ordered "Wag the Dog" video to be viewed online. I have a new computer, with all the current updates. An error occured in downloading the program from Amazon needed to view the video. This error occurred on two of my computers. Since I had to watch the video that day for a class, I could wait another day for a response. I paid for the same video twice and Amazon refused to make any refunds. Sure I was out only $5.98, but the time and frustration far exceeded the cost. I will probably not use Amazon again for video viewings. June 12, 2008

Hmm...sounds familar

This movie is about the US government staging a phony war to the president could get relected...deja vu....lol. The difference between the movie and, well, real life is in fact the movie was funnier.
March 5, 2008

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