Wag The Dog - 1997

Baltimore Cinema, New Line Cinema, Punch Productions

Directed by Barry Levinson

Cast:

• Conrad Brean – Robert De Niro
• Stanley Motss – Dustin Hoffman
• Winifred Ames – Anne Heche
• Fad King – Denis Leary
• Johnny Dean – Willie Nelson
• Liz Butsky – Andrea Martin
• Tracy Lime – Kirsten Dunst
• CIA Agent Charles Young – William H. Macy
• John Levy – John Michael Higgins
• Grace – Suzy Plakson
• Sgt. William Schumann – Woody Harrelson

Story: Eleven days to the Presidential Election and, Ooops, a scandal arises that could get the president impeached, let alone lose the election! What do you do when you have the entire US government at your disposal and all the money you could ever need? Why you hire the best spin doctor in the country, Conrad Bream, and you let him loose. Bream in turn travels out to Hollywood to enlist the aid of a top producer, Stanley Motss. He brings in the Fad King, the Music Star, and a top fashion designer to plan the media slight of hand of the century. To distract the press from the President's naughty predilictions, they are going to stage a war. Talk about your basic primer on disinformation, this film is a testament to the imagination of those few and privileged who are the only ones who know what really happened...and they aren't talking.

Review: This film is one of the best action comedies I have ever seen. The action begins from the first moment and keeps going throughout. De Niro is brilliant as Bream, the man with the plan who organizes the players from the start. Dustin Hoffman is the witty but self absorbed producer who is constantly talking about his own successes. Every scene is well thought out and believable, which makes it a wonderful mix of fantasy and reality. Anne Heche is a great foil for De Niro's character, Denis Leary is the pitchman, Willie Nelson is the singer-songwriter who is looking for the “back end” on his songs, and Andrea Martin is perfect as the designer. A political comedy that rings all too true in the world of today. A must for any lover of De Niro, and a must for the serious collector. Language, pill popping, and a lot of innuendo make this a no-no for the kiddies, but your teens should see it for their future knowledge of the term “spin doctor”.