Wag the Dog
Directed by Barry Levinson
After being caught in a scandalous situation days before the election, the president does not seem to have much of a chance of being re-elected. One of his advisers contacts a top Hollywood producer in order to manufacture a war in Albania that the president can heroically end, all through mass media.
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Wag the Dog Ratings & Reviews
- Delroy G JamesSeptember 13, 2025This sharp political satire still resonates today, showing how scandal can be buried under spectacle. Its pre-social media mechanics feel dated, but the core warning that truth crumbles when politics becomes performance fits our times perfectly. It’s a clever, unsettling, and very watchable film that I’d recommend for anyone curious about media, power, and manipulation.
- cultfilmlikerMay 5, 2026I shook my head for an hour and a half straight LOLOL if only this plot could be relevant today Misinformation in the days before the internet had to have gotten so out of control at times It reminded me of both The Boys and the new film Slanted Biggest thing I was hung up on was them just dropping off a federal prisoner to three unsuspecting and unprepared elites smh and him being a r*pist wasn’t as fun as the film wanted it to be The “satire” was too good to not give it 5 stars tho
- mhamreusJanuary 20, 2026Wag the Dog is one of those films that feels smarter and more dangerous with age. What played as razor sharp political satire in the late 90s now lands closer to unsettling prophecy. Directed by Barry Levinson, the film imagines a White House scandal so toxic that the solution is to manufacture an entire fake war to distract the public. The mechanics of spin, spectacle, and media manipulation are laid bare with a grin and a knife. Robert De Niro is perfectly restrained as the calm fixer, the man who never raises his voice because he never needs to. But the real engine of the film is Dustin Hoffman, who steals every scene as Stanley Motss, a Hollywood producer treating geopolitics like a studio problem. Casting, music cues, test audiences, and emotional beats are all just part of selling the story. Hoffman plays him loud, brilliant, insecure, and terrifyingly sincere. The genius of Wag the Dog is how casual it makes the deception feel. No grand villains. No evil monologues. Just professionals doing their jobs efficiently and with pride. The satire cuts deep because it never feels exaggerated. It feels organized. The film also nails the media ecosystem of its time while somehow predicting what was coming next. Short attention spans. Emotional imagery over facts. Narrative beats more important than truth. Once the machine starts moving, reality barely matters. This is a movie that could absolutely be made today. The scary part is that it would not feel like satire anymore. It would feel like a documentary with better lighting.
- Dennis JohansenMarch 5, 2026Great movie and quite relevant these days
- David PortelaFebruary 20, 2026This slow-burning gem conceals wonderful performances from all its leads. A prophetic warning about the power of media when it was made, 30 years later we have copious evidence that this work of fiction tells of a phenomenon that is, sadly, far too real. Younger viewers will catch themselves amazed at the effort required to produce images, music and clips that can be conjured into reality today with a simple prompt.
Wag the Dog Trivia
Wag the Dog was released on December 25, 1997.
Wag the Dog was directed by Barry Levinson.
Wag the Dog has a runtime of 1h 37m.
Wag the Dog was produced by Robert De Niro, Barry Levinson, Jane Rosenthal.
After being caught in a scandalous situation days before the election, the president does not seem to have much of a chance of being re-elected. One of his advisers contacts a top Hollywood producer in order to manufacture a war in Albania that the president can heroically end, all through mass media.
The key characters in Wag the Dog are Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman), Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro), Winifred Ames (Anne Heche).
Wag the Dog is rated R.
Wag the Dog is a Comedy, Drama film.
Wag the Dog has an audience rating of 7.6 out of 10.
Wag the Dog had a budget of $15M.
Wag the Dog has made $64.3M at the box office.