Wag the Dog (1997)

reviewed by
Boyd Petrie


Wag the Dog (1997)
Rated R for language.
----------  Out of 4 stars: **** (4 Stars)

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Kirsten Dunst, Willie Nelson, Denis Leary.


Sitting in the theater, waiting for WAG THE DOG to begin, I was struck by the number of politically-themed films are about to be released into theaters. The previews showed numerous films about politics, whether it ranged from John Travolta as the President to a AS GOOD AS IT GETS-Jack Nicholson-type politician. Why is Hollywood suddenly so interested in politics? Because of the controversy, and the obvious interest of moviegoers. However, of the two previews I saw, neither of them looked very interesting. In one, Travolta plays the President, with grey hair and all, but he still looks too young for the role. The other preview showed a rude President who bashes people whenever he feels like it (but not on purpose, of course). Neither of these films will be as good or as entertaining as WAG THE DOG.

To begin, what exactly does wag the dog mean? It may sound a little ridiculous, but it actually gives the film a connection to the audience. The opening scene explains to us: "Why does a dog wag its tail? Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail was smarter, then it would wag the dog." Throughout the film, director Barry Levinson and writers David Mamet and Hilary Henkin continually portray your average American as the dog. The government is the tail. WAG THE DOG contains a fair amount of ridiculous events, but none so far as going beyond belief. What it does is it plays with the audience's thoughts of government procedure. Many people have thought that the government is lying (more than likely, everyone), telling us stories to explain things otherwise unexplainable. WAG THE DOG takes that a step further, showing us what could possibly happen.

WAG THE DOG begins very quickly, with White House aide Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) leading spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) down a series of underground tunnels. Why do they need Brean? Because the President was caught with is pants down. The President is being accused of offering himself to a "Firefly Girl," and an underage one at that. This may or may not be true, but it doesn't matter, because once the story hits the television, it becomes fact. Brean figures that they need to find something to draw the attention away from the sexual harassment deal; perhaps, by starting a war with Albania. Start a war? Well, not really.

Brean decides that he needs someone to produce his war, and where better to find someone to do that than in the one place that specializes in fabricating fictional events--Hollywood. Brean comes across Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman), a Hollywood producer whose lack of acknowledgment for his films has discouraged him from continuing to produce them. At first, Motss is apprehensive about getting involved with the scheme, thinking it's too immense for anyone to pull it off. However, after seeing Brean's connection to the White House, and realizing the enjoyment of pulling off such a radical event, Motss accepts to produce the war. "We can't tell anyone... it's a pageant," Brean remarks.

Most of the fun of WAG THE DOG is derived from the actual production of war-based paraphernalia. There's the short video of a young Albanian girl (played by Kirsten Dunst) running through a destroyed village. This was produced using special effects ("The same method was used in the last Schwarzenegger film."). There's also the hilarious production of the musical theme, written by Willie Nelson. In probably the funniest scene in the film, Nelson makes up a song about the President and little girls sitting in his lap. However, the opposing candidate for the President's chair (Craig T. Nelson) knocks down rumors of war, and because he said it on television, it must be true. Brean and Ames both declare defeat, but Motss thinks the war just needs a second act. "We need a hero!" he exclaims. That hero is Schumacher (Woody Harrelson), a fictionalized member of the fictionalized 3-0-3 squadron, who was left behind enemy lines. This sparks attention from America, and the President's numbers sky-rocket when they learn he is being brought home.

For a film such as WAG THE DOG to work, everything must fit together properly. And at the top of it must be a good screenplay. WAG THE DOG's is among the best of the year, with some of the sharpest dialogue of the year. Based on the novel "American Hero," by Larry Beinhart, it took David Mamet (arguably the best dialogue writer ever) and Hilary Henkin to adapt it for the screen. The screenplay is so witty that a lot of the humor may just go over the heads of viewers. Some of it went over my head, but I laughed anyway. However, most of the humor is very sharp and, directed at politics, makes it extremely funny. Heck, if you can't laugh at politics... The premise of WAG THE DOG is among the very best of satire, and probably the best of the year. It seems like a ridiculous idea (the government messing with the media), but watching WAG THE DOG, a sudden fear overwhelms you: it's just plausible enough to really happen. The film points fingers at everyday Americans as being too gullible. Anything we see on TV must be true, but WAG THE DOG shows it as being falsified by the government in order to ensure the President's success.

This is Dustin Hoffman's second film this year about using the media to gain attention for someone, but in WAG THE DOG, he gives the best performance I have seen him give since TOOTSIE. Hoffman has so much enthusiasm in the film that it vastly contrasts the uptight De Niro. De Niro also gives a very good performance, but much more subdued than he normally is. De Niro and Hoffman play well of each other, and to add to that, there's a load of big-name stars in small roles. Anne Heche is wonderful as Winifred Ames, a colorful and vibrant character whose hard outside persona hides a vulnerable side. In smaller roles are Kirsten Dunst (whom I would have gladly liked to see more of) as the actress hired to play an Albanian, Wood Harrelson as "The Old Shoe" hero (his psycho performance is entertaining, but very limited), James Belushi, William H. Macy as an NSA official, Michael Belson as the President (only seen from behind and out of focus shots), Jay Leno, Craig T. Nelson, Denis Leary, and Willie Nelson. All of these performances are good, and the film shows that big-name stars will take small roles just to be in it.

WAG THE DOG is rated R for language. Director Barry Levinson has produced a remarkably funny film on a remarkably small budget. The direction is tight and crisp, but never reveals itself. The music by Mark Knopfler was a little annoying at first, but quickly it took ahold of my attention and gave the film an added bonus. It's really a catchy soundtrack. However, there are some minor flaws in the film. The cinematography occasionally draws attention to itself with strange camera movements, and the ending is a little depressing. I question whether or not the screenplay ended correctly, but it ends with a satirical approach to dark humor, and it ends up being funny anyway. Overall, WAG THE DOG is probably the best bet for a comedy right now, and definitely in the line-up for Oscar contenders.

Reviewed by Respect (respect@aros.net) http://www.aros.net/~respect/movies.html


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