IMDb > Wag the Dog (1997)
Wag the Dog
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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   33,730 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Barry Levinson
Writers (WGA):
Larry Beinhart (book)
Hilary Henkin (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Wag the Dog on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 January 1998 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Tagline:
A Hollywood producer. A Washington spin-doctor. When they get together, they can make you believe anything. more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(36 articles)
Halfway House: Oh Suzanne-ah
 (From FilmExperience. 3 November 2009, 9:00 AM, PST)

Movie Stars Featured In Levinson Documentary
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 2 November 2009, 1:32 PM, PST)

User Comments:
The greatest political satire ever more (188 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Bite the Bullet (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for language.
Runtime:
97 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the funeral scene, soldiers in the military band are played by members of the Riverside Community College marching band. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: While they are recording the song for the Albanian War, there is a shot of Stanley through the glass of the studio. The reflections of the singers do not match the words or rhythm of the song. more
Quotes:
Stanley Motss: I'm in show business, why come to me?
Conrad 'Connie' Brean: War is show business, that's why we're here.
more
Soundtrack:
THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE GIRLS more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
44 out of 58 people found the following comment useful.
The greatest political satire ever, 11 October 2004
Author: M S from Nashville, TN

I do not understand the people who did not like the movie. For me this is the greatest political satire since Chaplin's "The great dictator". Both de Niro and Hoffman are great as well. This movie is not about Clinton although they did predict correctly the Kosovo war, and Albanian terrorists. It is about American political system which is made by and for TV. Several lines from that movie ("Why Albania?" - "Why not?", "Albania does not rhyme", "What do you remember about the Gulf war? One smart bomb... I was in that building when we shot that shot", and many more) are impossible to forget because everyday political life does not let us forget them.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (188 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Wag the Dog (1997)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
terrible movie (spoilers) sadhawan
They did this movie already in 1995 dreamerboi23
Mark Knopfler's Soundtrack max23
Needs to be Top 250 jaysobe
Is Conrad Breen in the Devil? pstancer
Shuman = Jessica Lynch chris98383
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