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Tracy Lime (Kirsten Dunst) gets prepared by Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) for her bogus appearance as a sympathetic Albanian orphan.
Tracy Lime (Kirsten Dunst) gets prepared by Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) for her bogus appearance as a sympathetic Albanian orphan.
Spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro), PR-advisor Winifred Ames (Anne Heche), and producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) are co-conspirators.
Spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro), PR-advisor Winifred Ames (Anne Heche), and producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) are co-conspirators.
Sgt. William
Sgt. William "the Old Shoe" Schumann (Woody Harrelson) seems a bit wacko.

Thumbnail for Wag the Dog (1997) Wag the Dog (1997)

Basics Critics:70Viewers:68Rusty:78
Category: Comedy, DramaNotable as: Black comedySub-Category: Political cinema, Political drama, Parody, Media Satire, Comedy, Black comedy, DramaNarrative location: Washington, D.C.Runtime: 97 - 110 minutesColor: colorLanguage: English, Albanian languageCountry: United StatesDirector: Barry LevinsonScreenwriter: Hilary Henkin, David MametMusic: Mark KnopflerCinematography: Robert RichardsonStars: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Kirsten Dunst, William H. Macy, John Michael Higgins Producer: Barry Levinson, Robert De NiroAwards won: Jury Grand PrixAward nominations: Academy Award for Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman)
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (Hilary Henkin, David Mamet)Award details: (details at IMDb)
Description

Wag the Dog is a 1997 black comedy film produced and directed by Barry Levinson. The screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet was loosely adapted from Larry Beinhart's novel American Hero. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, with Anne Heche, Denis Leary, and William H. Macy in supporting roles. Just days before a presidential election, a Washington, D.C. spin doctor distracts the electorate from a sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood film producer to construct a fake war with Albania. The film was released one month before the outbreak of the Lewinsky scandal and the subsequent bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan by the Clinton Administration, which prompted the media to draw comparisons between the film and reality.


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