Rating: 
Summary: Probably not the President's favorite movie, but it's mine!
Review: As a Brit living in the USA I have noticed a very welcome trend in life Stateside, you's all starting to take yourself less seriously!. In a country which takes a somewhat harsh view of showing a nipple on NBC, this film is nothing less than an exhilarating ( and apposite) joy!.Trying to keep the Presidents name off the front page when he's been found to be groping a 13 year old just two weeks before an election demands the services of an extraordinary guy ( Robert de Niro). The answer?, war with Albania! ( does this give you folks a sense of deja vu?) Not a real war of course, a virtual, televisual war, designed to show the heroic qualities of the American Nation, The American Army ( listen for the hymn of praise to the "men of the 303") and, not least, the American President. A plot that, though labrynthine, never really loses it's way, and the combined efforts of everybody from De Niro and Dustin Hoffman to Willie Nelson ( yep!, Willie Nelson!) make this film the equivalent of the best-seller you can't put down, We cannot buy it in the UK, I suspect that Prime Minister feels that he owes enough to Bill to at least stop us getting our hands on THIS!!. Pity though, it's the best film of 1998 by a country mile.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and provocative despite its flaws.
Review: After a slow start, the movie picks up steam with a fascinating (IMHO) look into the dark side of the Hollywood-Washington relationship. It's based on the premise that when the White House seeks to sway the gullible masses, it calls on select entertainment industry professionals. And this movie shows how easily radical spin-doctoring can be done. Just one problem--Wag the Dog asks us to believe that a war with a small, heretofore benign nation will be bought by the media. I don't think so. The powerful ending definitely makes its point, and partially redeems the shenanigans in the second half of the film. Overall, I'd say it's worth seeing, if only to understand why "wag the dog" has become a popular expression. PS: Dustin Hoffman's character is a parody of producer Robert Evans.
Rating:
Summary: Saw it three times!
Review: Wag the dog might not be a comedy for the masses. But anyone involved in communications, media or internet business should be entertained to the max by this movie. The way they predicted the realworld happening around the Monicagate is a miracle. One of the best political comedies ever seen (beside "1, 2,3" by Billy Wilder, of course.
Rating: 
Summary: I would've walked out if I weren't on a plane.
Review: Wait a sec: you're going to satirize politics and Hollywood AT THE SAME TIME? This is what I call a "side-of-the-barn" picture, as in, to miss the target would be like missing the side of a barn. Robert DiNiro, who looks for most of the movie like he's trying to be somewhere else, plays the ultimate behind-the-scenes spin doctor to a philanderous President. He hires a famous Hollywood producer to stage a war so people stop focusing on the President's character. That, plus a lot of nutty filler, is the whole enchilada. Dustin Hoffman plays the producer. Hoffman seems unsure whether to play the part as Phil Spector, Buddy Hackett or Totie Fields. It's as disasterous a performance by a major actor since...DiNiro in this movie. Things plod along rather predictably and humorlessly for a hour or so until they meet up with a psycho-pervert played by Woody Harrelson. Since no one could be tempted to call Harrelson a major anything, his debasement is invisible. Only Anne Heche seems to be engaged in the material, which is a shame for her since the material is so cliche-laden & facile. What makes a movie like this so truly hateful is the knowing tone. "The world is stupid; it's a good thing we're so smart," it seems to gush. Granted, all satire butts up against the possibility of sounding sanctimonious and trite, but good satire, like "Dr. Strangelove" or "Network", treats the audience as collaborators instead of a congregation. We're all in it together with the filmakers, charting the story, because WE REALLY DON'T KNOW what's going to happen and we care because we have a stake in the world created on screen. They seem to be about real lives or real decisions that affect our sense of the world. Movies like "Wag the Dog" or "Bob Roberts" (granted, a better movie than this dog) are about how smart or right-thinking Barry Levinson or Tim Robbins are. How smart, though, can Levinson be when a situation that actually transpired before our eyes still feels implausable on screen? Maybe the popularity of this noxious little project is based on our current (almost as dull) White House soap opera. Certainly, those who have praised the filmmakers (including the sometimes excellent Barry Levinson) for their prescience forget that even Jeanne Dixon gets it right sometimes.
Rating: 
Summary: Hoffman great in preposterous role.
Review: This movie is worth seeing for Dustin Hoffman's performance alone. He was really funny. The premise of the movie may be preposterous -- you do have to exercise the suspension of disbelief -- but it was well-acted with great characters. One viewer said on Hoffman's role, "Dustin Hoffman gave a powerful performance as a President who wanted to cover up ...". Did that reader see a different movie? Dustin Hoffman was a movie producer, not the President !!
Rating:
Summary: disapointment
Review: The movie was just plain boring and the plot line never moved. Deniro was very out of place in this movie as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Trailer, Average Movie
Review: I was looking forward to seeing this movie that features two of my favorite actors, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Dinero. The theatrical trailer was funny and hooked me into buying the movie without any of my own research. As I watched the film I kept hoping for it to get more interesting or more funny, neither materialized. I would not recommend buying this movie. It would in my opinion be a good rental or HBO film not one to add to your collection, but it does have a great trailer....
Rating:
Summary: A rarity: effective American satire
Review: I suspect that the previous commenter fell into the well-known American trap of not understanding sarcasm and satire, be it from political movies or British humour. Wag the Dog is not an attempt at a political thriller; it's a hilarious commentary on the American postmodern era, where image IS politics. It's thoroughly entertaining, with bright, witty dialogue, effective acting, and a plot that seems to cover all possible bases. Well worth a viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs way up!
Review: Great movie! What else could you say? It involves a real time problem (the President's scandal) and shows how three simple people can create a war out of nothing! It scares me how media could actually have so much swing over the people. Anyway, hilarious plot with ties to real life, great movie.
Rating:
Summary: It was a good movie but not the best i've ever seen.
Review: Dustin Hoffman gave a powerful performance as a President who wanted to cover up a horrendous sex scandal by making a war.
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