Wag the Dog (1997)
84%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
2 wins & 23 nominations total
Smart, well-acted, and uncomfortably prescient political satire from director Barry Levinson and and all-star cast
Wag the Dog” is a political satire that will make you laugh and cringe at the same time. The movie’s portrayal of media manipulation and the gullibility of the American public is both hilarious and terrifying. The script is witty and the pacing is crisp, making it a perfect bookend piece for “Network.” It’s amazing how realistic the movie still feels over twenty years later. If you’re looking for a fun and entertaining political comedy, “Wag the Dog” is definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Bridgit Folman Film Gang Les Films, d’ Ici Razor Film Produktion GmbH,
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Main Drain Rd., Buttonwillow, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 37m
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Language(s):English, Albanian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1997 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 28, 1998
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
Wag the Dog, R, Comedy/Drama, 1h 37m, directed by Barry Levinson, written by Larry Beinhart, Hilary Henkin, David Mamet, starring Dustin Hoffman as Stanley Motss, Robert De Niro as Conrad Brean, Anne Heche as Winifred Ames, Woody Harrelson as Sgt William Schumann, Denis Leary as Fad King, Willie Nelson as Johnny Dean, produced by Robert De Niro, Barry Levinson, Jane Rosenthal, reviewed by critics Jason Bailey, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Rick Groen, Kenneth Turan, Godfrey Cheshire, Susan Stark, Eddie Harrison, Danielle Solzman, David Nusair, Betty Jo Tucker, Heather Boerner, MPAA rating R, box office gross $43.0M, political satire, media manipulation, sex scandal, distraction, war fabrication, Hollywood producer, Albania, presidential adviser, spin doctor, all-star cast, uncomfortable prescient, smart, well-acted
Worldwide gross: $64,256,513
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $117,919,762
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 944
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 12,859,298
US/Canada gross: $43,061,945
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $79,024,741
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 864
US/Canada opening weekend: $92,079
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $168,978
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,729
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $27,527,115
Production budget ranking: 1,202
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $14,823,351
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $75,569,295
ROI to date (est.): 178%
ROI ranking: 688
Robert De Niro – Conrad Brean
Anne Heche – Winifred Ames
Woody Harrelson – Sgt. William Schumann
Denis Leary – Fad King
Willie Nelson – Johnny Dean
Director(s)
Barry Levinson
Writer(s)
Larry Beinhart, Hilary Henkin, David Mamet
Producer(s)
Robert De Niro, Barry Levinson, Jane Rosenthal
Film Festivals
Tribeca
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
2 wins & 23 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (76) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (65) | Rotten (11)
If anything, in the years since its release, the worlds of politics, entertainment, and news media have grown even more intertwined in which narratives are carefully controlled and expectations are minimal.
January 2, 2018
Jason Bailey
Vice
TOP CRITIC
Hilary Henkin and David Mamet’s script is gleefully hyperbolic without ever straying from its political target.
March 30, 2009
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Amusing as it is, Wag The Dog does what it purports to sat irize — the bark is real but the teeth aren’t.
April 12, 2002 | Rating: 3/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
A wicked smart satire on the interlocking worlds of politics and show business, Wag the Dog confirms every awful thought you’ve ever had about media manipulation and the gullibility of the American public.
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The pacing is crisp, the dialogue quippy and fast, the tone arch but energetic.
February 14, 2001
Godfrey Cheshire
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Wag the Dog nonetheless makes a perfect bookend piece for Network.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/4
Susan Stark
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
…a vitriolic comedy/satire that venomously assesses the lack of morality in the modern media and politics…
June 9, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
Perhaps what’s so surprising about 1997’s Wag the Dog is how the political satire feels so realistic over twenty years following its theatrical release.
February 19, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
…a fairly static drama that contains few elements worth connecting to or wholeheartedly embracing…
February 7, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
‘Wag the Dog,’ a movie that’s fun to see more than once, comes across as a bitingly funny satire of politics, the media and show business.
September 25, 2011
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Entertaining, creepily resonant political comedy.
December 18, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Heather Boerner
Common Sense Media
Anyone who would be inherently interested in this kind of sendup is unlikely to be surprised by anything in this film — overall it feels like a trifle, if an entertaining one.
March 30, 2009 | Rating: 2.5/4
Sandra Contreras
TV Guide…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Wag the Dog.
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