Wag the Dog

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Chris S @Janomi Jul 3 Wag the Dog is a smart political satire that feels remarkably relevant decades after its release. The screenplay blends sharp comedy, media commentary, and political manipulation into a story that's both highly entertaining and just believable enough to make you wonder how much fiction resembles reality. Barry Levinson keeps the tone light while never losing sight of the unsettling ideas beneath the humor. Dustin Hoffman delivers one of the funniest performances of his career as eccentric Hollywood producer Stanley Motss, while Robert De Niro provides the perfect counterbalance with his calm, understated performance. Their chemistry and razor-sharp dialogue carry the film throughout. Some of the satire intentionally becomes exaggerated as the story escalates, and a few developments stretch credibility for the sake of comedy. Even so, its clever screenplay, outstanding performances, and surprisingly timeless themes make Wag the Dog one of the better political satires of its era. See more thiago S @Thiagostone Apr 11 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Ernie K @ErnieK Mar 18 Outstanding acting with a balance of humor and amazing realism compliments what shouldn't have been true but was and very probably still is. Holds your interest, and in it's own quirky way becomes more true as time goes on. DeNiro and Hoffman are particular standouts who deliver the well-written dialogue incisively. See more J B @Hooly Nov 4 A better explanation of amercan politics, one could not wish to see. Based on a true story, the real politic of life at the coalface of power. Great performances all round, blend reality until you realise there's no such thing. A masterpiece of the truth? How would you know? See more Blu B @RT43513976 Oct 22 A Political Comedy Classic. Good soundtrack when used but I wish it was a bit more catchy on it's own. Everything else is really good. It's effectively a satire on politics, patriotism, and the media in more ways than one. Great direction by Levinson also. As good as this is, this isn't for everyone. This is not a Adam Sandler type comedy with slapsticks, references, and fart jokes. It's really intelligent satire driven by really sharp dialouge and a crackerjack script. It just keeps throwing one thing after another and the situation just gets more and more ridiculous. You laugh at the situation, sharp lines, and think about the underlying commentary while you do it. 95% of this film is about war, hostages, and action but there is hardly any action to speak of. It's very much just smart, quirky, and interesting characters talking and planning. It kind of reminds me of an Ocean's type film in a sense without the lavish locations. If there is one issue it's really that it can get very wordy sometimes and a bit hard to follow in the particulars at times. So it does break the comedic pacing a bit when you have to think more than laugh sometimes. Overall, if your a fan of any actors here, Levinson, political films, or more intelligent type comedies give this a shot. See more Stephen C @bob25009 07/22/2025 Funny in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $43,000,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Read all reviews

Wag the Dog

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