Wag the Dog

"A comedy about truth, justice and other special effects."

1997 1h 37m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 1,103

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During the final weeks of a presidential race, the President is accused of sexual misconduct. To distract the public until the election, the President's adviser hires a Hollywood producer to help him stage a fake war.

“A comedy about truth, justice and other special effects.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Dustin Hoffman
Stanley Motss
Robert De Niro
Conrad Brean
Anne Heche
Winifred Ames
Woody Harrelson
Sergeant William Schumann
Denis Leary
Fad King
Willie Nelson
Johnny Dean
Andrea Martin
Liz Butsky
Kirsten Dunst
Tracy Lime

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Barry Levinson
Writers: Hilary Henkin, David Mamet
Languages: Albanian, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Albanian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

318+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Barry Levinson, shot by Robert Richardson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Knopfler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stu Linder shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro and Anne Heche carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Barry Levinson directs. Robert Richardson behind the camera. Mark Knopfler scores. Stu Linder cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Albanian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.3× over at the box office.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Albanian, English.
4318+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Barry Levinson, shot by Robert Richardson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Mark Knopfler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Stu Linder shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro and Anne Heche carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A comedy about truth, justice and other special effects.".
10IMDB entry: tt0120885 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 20 themes, including "gulf war", "central intelligence agency (cia)", "rape", "usa president".