WAG THE DOG (1997) a review by Christian Pyle
WAG THE DOG is a sharp satire on the manipulation of public opinion through the creation of "news." Like DR. STRANGELOVE (1964), WAG will likely be referenced by political commentators for decades to come.
Conrad Brean (Robert DeNiro), a professional problem solver, has been called in by the White House to defuse a scandal-the President, nearing reelection, has been accused of molesting a teenager. Brean and White House staffer Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) enlist movie producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to create "a pageant"-a nonexistent war with Albania-to distract the media and the public from the sex scandal. Motss enthusiastically plots the storyline of the war and deftly keeps the story going as unexpected events block their plans.
One of WAG's points is that the experience of war for those not actually fighting it is a collage of stirring images, patriotic songs, and memorials for heroes. Therefore, Brean and Motss give America a clip of an Albanian waif (actually an actress played by Kirsten Dunst) fleeing explosions, numerous songs, and a heroic soldier (Woody Harrelson) captured by the enemy. The war must have happened because, as Brean says several times, "I saw it on TV."
WAG's most obvious target is the use of military action as a political smokescreen. When the movie was released, many called it prophetic because, around the same time, Clinton bombed Iraq in an obvious attempt to divert attention from his own sex scandal. However, Hilary Henkin and David Mamet's screenplay drops references to Reagan and Bush's use of the same tactic. In many ways, WAG presents a better world-their war is bloodless.
Another satire, Michael Moore's CANADIAN BACON (1994), explores similar territory. In that film, the White House creates a state of tension between the U.S. and Canada to replace the Cold War. The message is the same: having a common enemy stirs up and unites the populace, and the power to manipulate that effect has numerous political applications. WAG is the better film; where BACON descended into border-crossing hijinks and was weighed down by Moore's use of its script as a soapbox, WAG is wonderfully subtle and rich in satiric detail.
The relevance of WAG extends far beyond its parallels with recent history. Daniel Boorstin coined the term "pseudo-event" to describe an event which is planned "for the immediate purpose of being reported." With today's technology, WAG THE DOG tells us, the pseudo-events can be more pseudo than events. Brean convinces Motss that the fake war can work by claiming that the most famous image of the Gulf War was filmed on a sound stage with a small model made of Legos. Seeing may be believing, but can we believe what we see? As we are swept downstream in the constant rush of mass media, can we separate the genuine from the artificial? And, if documentary evidence is suspect, what is history? Brean adds a blues song to the 1930's by planting an album in the Library of Congress. Even history is suspect.
Grade: A-
Review © 1999 Christian Pyle
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