Rating: 
Summary: A rare dual level film
Review: "Wag the Dog" is a rare film indeed. It is rare because it is one of the few films that can not only be appreciated on two levels but also have a message which differs depending on which level the viewer chooses. On one hand you can view it as a political satire. How war is ultimatley remembered not as a series of battles in which many brave people die, but rather are reduced to a few famous names and a memorable patriotic tune. Because wars are so trivalized in the American conciousness it would be quite easy to fool the public in to believing whatever they are told. But there is also another level to this film and it is not a satire at all. Wag the Dog is also a film about film. It shows just how powerful the medium of motion pictures can be. It can be used not only to entertain but also to decieve. Look at how film has evolved through the years... With the introduction of computerized special effects motion pictures as an artform took a major leap forward. It can truly make the impossible happen. Remember as you watch this film thatit is not just the psudo-war that fools a nation but is also about the incredible power of film...
Rating:
Summary: #1
Review: I am rather picky, and few movies meet my standards. And this movie is #1 of all movies I've seen. I love seeing the power of politics, both frightening and fascinating. I love seeing what they can do, in so little time, and all the tactics they use. The acting is fantastic, the plotline strong and the dialogue, compelling. Great Work.
Rating:
Summary: a very brave film
Review: Don't let yourselves get fooled by the 'plot'. This is not a film about a president fooling around with little girls. That is just the pretence. It's a film about the death of history, which George Orwell already described in '1984' in which his hero is a person rewriting history as a state employee. Your home computer can make rude forgeries. Computers, such as the state has them, are a billion times stronger than Your computer and with them you can make forgeries which cannot be distinguished from the real thing. That is what this movie is about: History is dead, because the computers has gotten too strong. Only the history, told by Your father or mother to You as well as the history You have witnessed Yourself, survives now. Be happy!!! There is no way of fooling You with history from now on. Hurray for the coming of logic and common sence!!!
Rating:
Summary: Bitter and accurate political satire at its best . . .
Review: I'd make room on your DVD shelf for this one - "Wag the Dog" deserves a place alongside Kubrick's "Dr.Stragelove" with its cutting-edge political satire. Few films give such an accurate vision of the spin-doctors at work creating the imagery that we see on the news on a nightly basis. I will say that this comedy is not for everyone. The pacing is slow at first, and much of the humor is dark satire. Fans of slapstick comedy will find no amusement here - this is a fairly sophisticated film satirizing the modern media climate. However, if you've ever wondered what goes on behind-the-scenes, this film shows a very accurate view of the public relations wizards at work changing public sentiment with well-placed rumors.
Rating:
Summary: Can't rhyme with Albania
Review: A classic...Willie Nelson steals the show with his "Albania..Albania" lyrics.This was made BEFORE Clinton made an idiot of himself,so even more outstanding is this film."Get me the Ohh-Ahh's..You know the Ann Frank sirens" Classic stuff indeed!
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I could have left
Review: I could not get up and go home. I wanted very much to walk out.I read that the movie was done in a very short period of time. It showed in the quality of the dialogue and overall content. I believe the movie would have been a complete flop without the Clinton/Lewinsky situation. I enjoy satire. I didn't find humor and satire in the dialogue as much as another attempt to exploit the Clinton and Lewinsky situation.
Rating:
Summary: Art AS life - not just imitating it
Review: Take it from someone who has been involved in communications work in a large corporation - this is very close to real life! Events that attract a great deal of media attention can create a crisis environment within the accused organization - and some interesting behaviors as a result. Even with the experience that would tend to make me jaded and a bit cynical, I find myself thoroughly enjoying this film every time I watch it. It's a credit to fine writing, directing, and acting. As another reviewer said, though - it's for those who enjoy satire and somewhat "intellectual" humor (or better said - it's not an "escapist" comedy - because it's very much like real life)....
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasant surprise...!
Review: I didn't expect much going into this title, although it stars two of America's best actors: De Niro and Hoffman. What a pleasant surprise - this film was a lot of fun and really makes you think! The DVD picture is beautiful and the sound great. Unlike some other De Niro titles, this one has some nice extras, including the insightful commentary and interviews. Recommended for fun, but not a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect
Review: I've spent almost my entire professional life on both sides of politics, whether covering it as a reporter or spinning it as a lobbyist and publicist, and from that standpoint, this film is a thrill because it is dead-on, and it never makes a false step. For political and news junkies, it is a rare confection - for the rest of the world... it's the same thing - brilliant, wicked, insolent, sly, very funny and a master of spin in its own right(and you honestly don't have to give a damn about politics to love it!) If you doubt it, ask someone about the Tostitos bag. By the way, unlike so many films, the pacing doesn't break once - it moves fast, though not too fast, and you'll find that you never once look at your watch.
Rating:
Summary: Tells it like it is . . .
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed "Wag the Dog" when it premiered amidst the beginnings of the Lewinsky scandal. The movie had the uncanny good fortune to pop up at the right time. As a political junkie I was amazed that Hollywood had put together such a witty parody of politics- a spoof of all of the spinning and message making that goes on in politics. The performances are right on the money- Dustin Hoffman was great as a neurotic, ego-driven Producer, and far from the flamboyant James Carville type, Robert DeNiro's confident spinmaster is closer to what political operatives are really like. The plot Hoffman and DeNiro cook up to distract the people from the President's sexual escapades- a war with Albania, complete with bombed villages created on a Hollywood soundstage -is even quasi-believable. As the year wore on I appreciated the movie even more: the theme of "Wag the Dog" is how easily people buy into what they are told without questioning (how can we have a democracy when people don't ask questions). I was more than a little disgusted to watch people react to the U.S. bombing terrorist camps in Afghanistan amidst the Clinton impeachment scandal with the response: "This is just like 'Wag the Dog'!" In effect, they had grasped the exact OPPOSITE of the movie's theme. Hollywood had fed them a scenario and they embraced it without a second thought. Great movie. Cuts close to home.
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