Themes: Political Corruption, Scandals and Cover-Ups, Conspiracies
Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Woody Harrelson, Denis Leary
Release Year: 1997
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
In a 29-day shoot, Barry Levinson filmed this $15 million political and media satire, adapted by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet from Larry Beinhart's novel, American Hero. Two weeks prior to re-election, the President (Michael Belson) is accused of cornering an underage girl in the Oval Office. To keep the media from learning of this, Presidential adviser Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) brings in political consultant and spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro), a specialist in such salvage operations. Brean suggests fabricating denials of non-existent emergencies -- such as denials about the B-3 bomber. The denial, of course, is true, since no B-3 bomber exists. Brean visits the mansion of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) and gives him the assignment to create a patriotic campaign centered around a war in Albania. Motss assembles a creative team -- Liz Butsky (Andrea Martin), the trend-setter Fad King (Denis Leary), and songwriter Johnny Green (Willie Nelson). Treated like an ad campaign, the songs and symbols are transmitted directly from a Hollywood soundstage to CNN. The star of their campaign is a "rescued" pilot -- in reality, a psychotic military prisoner (Woody Harrelson), who's a ticking time bomb. The flag-waving song, "The American Dream" was written for the film by Tom Bahler (who co-wrote "We Are the World"). Beinhart's original novel involved a real President (Bush), a real war (the Gulf War), and the premise that George Bush and Saddam Hussein staged it. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Review
Barry Levinson filmed this dead-on political satire in a mere 29 days, working from David Mamet and Hilary Henkin's smart adaptation of the Larry Beinhart novel American Hero. Wag the Dog came out not long before the nation found out about its own President's sexual misconduct; the prophetic script gets its laughs not from outlandish fantasy, but from the realization that it's only marginally removed from plausibility. The fake war the movie cooks up, for example, is set in the real nation of Albania, and the viewer is challenged to accept the characters' convictions that the American public doesn't know or even care where Albania is. The cast is excellent, led by Dustin Hoffman's hilarious send-up of a Hollywood producer and Robert De Niro's devious spin doctor. Even the minor characters entertain: Willie Nelson is great in his small role as a songwriter, and Woody Harrelson makes an appearance as a crazy-eyed vet. ~ Matthew Doberman, All Movie Guide
Mark Worthington - Art Director, Debra Zane - Casting, Ellen Chenoweth - Casting, Rita Ryack - Costume Designer, Amy Sayres - First Assistant Director, Barry Levinson - Director, Stu Linder - Editor, Michael De Luca - Executive Producer, Ezra Swerdlow - Executive Producer, Claire Rudnick Polstein - Executive Producer, Mark Knopfler - Composer (Music Score), Wynn P. Thomas - Production Designer, Robert Richardson - Cinematographer, Robert De Niro - Producer, Barry Levinson - Producer, Jane Rosenthal - Producer, Robert Greenfield - Set Designer, Steve Cantamessa - Sound/Sound Designer, Hilary Henkin - Screenwriter, David Mamet - Screenwriter, Larry Beinhart - Book Author
Type: Soundtrack, Lyrics are included with the album
Genre: Soundtrack
Review
Mark Knopfler wrote and performed the soundtrack to Barry Levinson's political satire Wag the Dog, and it is one of his best scores, alternately graceful and rootsy. Seven of the eight tracks are instrumental, with the last being reserved for the agreeably humorous single "Wag the Dog." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Richard Bennett (Guitar), Don Cobb (Digital Editing), Jim Cox (Piano), Jim Cox (Organ (Hammond)), Chad Cromwell (Drums), Guy Fletcher (Keyboards), Mark Knopfler (Guitar), Mark Knopfler (Vocals), Mark Knopfler (Producer), Glenn Worf (Bass), Chuck Ainlay (Producer), Mark Leialoha (Photography), Mark Ralston (Assistant Producer), Phil Caruso (Photography), Rick Lecoat (Design)
When an unnamed President of the United States is caught in a closed room with a young girl scout less than two weeks before re-election, a hired political gun (played by Robert DeNiro) is brought in to try and take the public attention away from the scandal. He decides to construct a fake war with Albania, hoping the media will concentrate on this instead. In order to come up with his 'war', he contacts a Hollywood producer (Hoffman), who brings in a series of specialists who help construct a theme song, build up interest and fake some footage of an orphan in Albania.
The plan's continual setbacks (including having to use an Army prison convict to be their 'hero' who was "shot down behind enemy lines") don't disturb the producer, who continues to declare "This is nothing" while comparing the situation to a past movie-making catastrophe he averted. In the end, with the election done and the President re-elected, everything seems fine - until the producer finds out from the news outlets that the media are crediting the President's tired "Don't change horses in midstream" campaign slogan with his win, rather than his elaborate plans. The producer is about to call the media to 'set them straight', when the President's aide has him killed and make it look like he had a heart-attack while tanning next to his pool.
Hoffman's character is said to have been based directly upon famed producer Robert Evans. Similarities have been noted between the character and Evans' work habits, mannerisms, quirks, clothing style, hairstyle, and large, square-framed eyeglasses; in fact, the real Evans is said to have joked, "I'm magnificent in this film."[4] Hoffman has never discussed any inspiration Evans may have provided for the role, and claims on the commentary track for the film's DVD release that much of Motss' characterization was based on his own father, Harry Hoffman, a former prop manager for Columbia Pictures.
Writing credits
Controversy surrounds the writing credits of the movie.[5] Original drafter Henkin took the film's producers to court and threatened to quit the Writers Guild of America after director Barry Levinson chose not to award her a screenwriting credit. Eventually, the WGA awarded Henkin credit, and Levinson himself threatened to quit the Guild, claiming that Mamet wrote every line of dialogue, as well as creating the characters of Motss and Schumann, and originating most of the scenes set in Hollywood and all of the scenes set in Nashville.[6]
The film featured many songs created for the fictitious campaign waged by the protagonists: "Good Old Shoe", "The American Dream" and "The Men of the 303" are but salient examples. None of these pieces made it onto the soundtrack, which was released on CD: it featured only the title track, by British guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, and seven of Knopfler's instrumentals.
