Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9780780623989 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Letterboxed, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC ISBN: 0780623983 Label: New Line Home Video Manufacturer: New Line Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: New Line Home Video Release Date: November 03, 1998 Running Time: 97 minutes Sales Rank: 44622 Studio: New Line Home Video Theatrical Release Date: January 09, 1998
Amazon.com essential video: Not only was Barry Levinson's comedy shot in a relatively fast period of 29 days, the satire of politics and show business feels as if it were made yesterday. There's a fresh spin quite evident here, a nervy satire of a presidential crisis and the people who whitewash the facts. The main players are a mysterious Mr. Fix-It (Robert De Niro), veteran Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman), and a White House aide (Anne Heche). Can the president's molesting of a young girl be buried in the two weeks before an election? A war in Albania just might do the trick. In the good old days, the president would just invade. With modern technology, it's even cleaner. The hungry press looks for any lead, convenient misinformation is created by the latest Hollywood fakery ('all developed by the new James Cameron film') creating images and merchandise all instantly packaged. And it must be real, because it's on TV. David Mamet's script never questions the morals or the absolute secrecy needed to pull this thing off. He and director Barry Levinson have enough truth in the story to make you wonder what is real news and what is just promotion the next time you see CNN. Many of the supporting players impact the story with mere presence: Denis Leary as a quote man, Willie Nelson as a songwriter. The three leads are magnificent. With the similarities between history and this film, Wag will forever linked to the Monica Lewinsky saga. This video version contains a new minidocumentary focusing on the parallels of the film with the Bill Clinton scandal, including comments from director Barry Levinson and hosted by newsman Tom Brokaw. --Doug Thomas
Rating: - Clever, witty, and interesting.
This is a smart piece of fiction with some high caliber acting. Faking a war for political gain is something seemingly far-fetched, but strangely familiar with how far politics will go to trick the citizens and gain support. This film has a great message while still being incredibly entertaining.
Rating: - The Truth is Something Else"
"Wag the Dog" should become an essential and enduring commentary about the influential role of broadcast media in modern life. Though comedic on the surface, it has a dark undercurrent. A U. S. President (modeled after Bill Clinton?) has a sexual impropriety in the Whitehouse two weeks before the election which would give to him a second term. "Media Fixer" Robert De Niro links up with film producer Dustin Hoffman to produce a military action against Albanian terrorists in order to divert news from the President. The uproarious and rapid-fire development of the successful media plot is riveting. However, in the end, after one stops laughing, a person ponders "Shouldn't it be true? I saw it on television." A cautionary tale, perhaps the truth is something else.
Rating: - "Wag" doesn't go out of style
As crazy as the first time I saw it. Makes me laugh. Makes me think. Harrellson is hilarious.
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