Dustin HoffmanWag the Dog (New Line Platinum Series) (1997)

DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN THIS IS HOW IT REALLY WORKS!

For those of us knowledgeable about the political affairs of the 1990's, this is a pretty hilarious film. Great acting, and overall a really funny movie loaded with political satire.

great performances from de niro, hoffman, and heche, and fun roles for dunst and harrelson! starts out as a scarily believable satire before slowly devolving into more and more absurdity.

Rent it. Hysterical! Dustin Hoffman is fantastic. Great cast!

*I find it truly amazing that whenever Hollywood paints an accurate picture of our political climate, or tries to alert us to our own ignorance, we just don't seem to get it, no matter how many times they try hitting us over the head with the obvious. It becomes evident that ''anti-Red'' scaremonger Joseph McCarthy really didn't need to do much of anything -- he could have just sat back and sipped on his martini, because, in the end, the American public doesn't take political messages in Hollywood movies seriously anyway. Case in point: ''Wag The Dog.''In a blatant attempt prove to his audience that any kind of media spin desired can be created and executed to benefit any and every political agenda imaginable (as though trying to prepare us ahead of time for the real possibility of an illegal overthrow of "representative democracy" in America, such as occured with the installation of President 'Un-Elect' George Walker Bush), David Mamet shows `We, the People' just how gullible and how easily manipulated we are by "official looking" and "official sounding" media presentations, ESPECIALLY  when "patriotic" themes are involved.Just like G.W. Bush and his associate Republican thugs cooked up a non-existent "War On Terror" to keep the public's mind off of the President's misdeeds and political ineptness, so too do the advisors and insiders of Mamet's fictitious administration of an unnamed President cook up a non-existent "War" against a "terrorist nation" (arbitrarily, Albania -- an insignificant dirt-poor country, just like Afghanistan) in order to keep the public's mind off of the President's alleged misconduct with a "Firefly Girl" (a thinly veiled parallel reference to the sexual misconduct of the last duly elected President in the nation, William Jefferson Clinton).The timing could not have possibly been worse for a scandal to erupt around Mamet's "President," since it is during a point in the presidency where the Commander in Chief is actively seeking re-election. So a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) has been called in to brainwash and mislead the public with a number of staged manipulative media events all wrapped neatly in the banner of patriotic jingoism. As one of the President's advisers, played by Robert DeNiro, states: "It's a pageant!"Mamet shows us how easily we can get swept up in jingoism to such an extent that we forget to ask the truly important questions and just sit back on our big fat collectives and 'let someone else do the hard thinking for us.' It's how dictatorships are born -- and to quote the words of George W. Bush VERBATIM, as spoken on December 18, 2000, just less than a week after he was "appointed" President by the Supreme Court:''If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier... just so long as I'm the dictator.''

Beans.. they don't put the STUFF in them..

There is nothing new under the sun, and the types of manufactured crisises to distract from events in the film have happened throughout millennia of history (and in point of fact directly reflect some of the global issues at the time of filming in the 1990s).Such manufactured events have simply become more sophisticated and easier to orchestrate / produce believable cultural and political illusions as technology advances to better falsely pose as the all knowing Shepard (i.e. God, Higher Power, or in this case more aptly put an Artificial Authority to heed in all things) in order to wag / herd the tail of the dog / sheep and lead the flock of humanity astray from truth.De Niro does a great job of playing the mystery G man / handler who never reveals his true loyalties or relation to the government and Dustin Hoffman gives a stellar performance on what appears to be a hinting portrayal of Hollywood psyche implantation / modification producers akin to Stanley Kubrick.This is very much more pertinent in this day in age regarding the War on Drugs, Terrorism, and Dis-ease like Covid 19. If you ever wanted a peak behind the political world curtain with eyes wide open, this a great film to get an idea on how some of the middle man NWO operations function on a governmental level towards creating global perceptions, judgements and responses to fake / manufactured crisises (also known in today's jargon as false flag operations).Enjoy and fear not, those of you who see this film and/or read this review with deep concern and understanding, for the light of the Holy Spirit is with you and there is nothing in the world's playbook of fear which can deprive you of your most precious divine gift. Love and blessings be with you!

Do you distrust the media? This movie is for you. Do you ever wonder why anyone would possibly distrust the media? This movie is also for you. It’s a timeless satire that doesn’t draw political lines or accuse one side or the other of manipulating the media because they know that would severely dilute the point: that the media in general is corrupt. I don’t see the film as taking the bleakest look, just a comical way of showing the importance of thinking for yourself. To not fully trust the media in all of its forms, but to think as you absorb. Hoffman and Deniro give incredible performances, the writing and directing are on point to keep the pacing up and show that the momentum of individuals caught up in a team objective of saving a presidents’ re-election campaign is addictive to watch, even when it’s hilariously unsettling.

No wonder this film has such a limite ddistribution in HV: just a dvd around the world, no blu ray, very few runs on tv: because it is a captivating film made in the hollywood way, by hollywood people (DeNiro, Hoffman, Barry Levinson and writer David Mamet) while conveying a cynical and provocative view of contemporary global politics and media-based wars.It basically anticipate the dynamics and intelligence behind our more recent wars (from Afghanistan on).And it is so linear, clear and smart in telling how media and political manipulation works, that I guess it might have been a reason of embarassment for Hollywood Studios so that's why it was never re-release so far. So basically get this film and hold it tight, because I guess we might wait years before they show it again.Just watch it and think if it does not resemble what keeps on happening with us about fake revolutions and western wars: here it shows how it is all a Hollywood-style operation, where you play with clichè and script a story to appeal audience and make it support whatever you want. It just takes a far away allegedly oppressed people, some heroes, a captivating supporting campaign talking about freedom, maybe a song to represent it, and some good old rethorics. And the war is won....

Needs to be seen. As you could see this every night on the news for the rest of your life. There is no War but lets go anyway.. Blair/Bush come to mind. "This is nothing" .."Good ole Shoe" Dont forget there was No W. M. D. "Lets hope we can learn some lessons " A Blair

SAFE READING - NO SPOILERSRare in the American film list, this is a satire. Even rarer, it is an amusing, successful satire. With Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman as its lead actors, each playing their hearts out, although Hoffman steals the show with his over-the-top, effeminate, creative producer, it could hardly fail.It will not be to everyone's taste but in its extremes, I could not help thinking about the "dodgy dossier", WMDs, presentations to the UN and other political legends.

Funny very, very funny. But cruel because the joke is on us - The US & Western World. This is a wonderful film but expect some tough laughs. This I feel is very much like it was / is.

DVD in excellent condition, eventhough it was not new. I chose to buy a second hand one because the price of a new one was ridiculous, made the right decision! The film is brilliant: thought provoking and hilarious, and makes you think: how far from the truth is this??? Worrying. Very happy with it.