Wag the Dog (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring:Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Kirsten Dunst, William H. Macy, John Michael Higgins, Suzie Plakson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Belson, Suzanne Cryer, Jason Cottle, David Koechner, Harland Williams, Sean Masterson, Bernard Hocke, Jenna Byrne, Maurice Woods (II)
Director: Barry Levinson
Studio: New Line Home Video
Product Type: DVD
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
Not only was Barry Levinson's comedy shot in a relatively fast period of 29 days, the satire of politics and show business feels as if it were made yesterday. There's a fresh spin quite evident here, a nervy satire of a presidential crisis and the people who whitewash the facts. The main players are a mysterious Mr. Fix-It (Robert De Niro), veteran Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman), and a White House aide (Anne Heche). Can the president's molesting of a young girl be buried in the two weeks before an election? A war in Albania just might do the trick. In the good old days, the president would just invade. With modern technology, it's even cleaner. The hungry press looks for any lead, convenient misinformation is created by the latest Hollywood fakery ("all developed by the new James Cameron film") creating images and merchandise all instantly packaged. And it must be real, because it's on TV. David Mamet's script never questions the morals or the absolute secrecy needed to pull this thing off. He and director Barry Levinson have enough truth in the story to make you wonder what is real news and what is just promotion the next time you see CNN. Many of the supporting players impact the story with mere presence: Denis Leary as a quote man, Willie Nelson as a songwriter. The three leads are magnificent. With the similarities between history and this film, Wag will forever linked to the Monica Lewinsky saga. This video version contains a new minidocumentary focusing on the parallels of the film with the Bill Clinton scandal, including comments from director Barry Levinson and hosted by newsman Tom Brokaw. --Doug Thomas
Description
Robert DeNiro stars as a Washington spinmaster who needs a war to distract public's attention from a sex scandal involving the President. Dustin Hoffman received an Academy Award nomination for his role in this biting political satire.
Average customer rating:
- It could have been true
- Wag? My tail didn't wag an instance...
- A Very Wicked And Prophetic Satire
- Classic for all the times (10 stars from 5)
- Wag the Dog
|
Wag the Dog (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Robert De Niro , Anne Heche , Denis Leary , and Willie Nelson
Director: Barry Levinson
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
 General
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Byrne, Jenna
| ( B )
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| ( C )
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Dunst, Kirsten
| ( D )
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DeNiro, Robert
| ( D )
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Harrelson, Woody
| ( H )
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Heche, Anne
| ( H )
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Higgins, John Michael
| ( H )
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Leary, Denis
| ( L )
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Macy, William H
| ( M )
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Martin, Andrea
| ( M )
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Nelson, Willie
| ( N )
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Plakson, Suzie
| ( P )
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Williams, Harland
| ( W )
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| ( L )
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Similar Items:
- Primary Colors
- Thirteen Days (Infinifilm Edition)
- All the President's Men (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
- Bulworth
ASIN: 0780622561
Release Date: 1998-07-29 |
Amazon.com essential video
Not only was Barry Levinson's comedy shot in a relatively fast period of 29 days, the satire of politics and show business feels as if it were made yesterday. There's a fresh spin quite evident here, a nervy satire of a presidential crisis and the people who whitewash the facts. The main players are a mysterious Mr. Fix-It (Robert De Niro), veteran Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman), and a White House aide (Anne Heche). Can the president's molesting of a young girl be buried in the two weeks before an election? A war in Albania just might do the trick. In the good old days, the president would just invade. With modern technology, it's even cleaner. The hungry press looks for any lead, convenient misinformation is created by the latest Hollywood fakery ("all developed by the new James Cameron film") creating images and merchandise all instantly packaged. And it must be real, because it's on TV. David Mamet's script never questions the morals or the absolute secrecy needed to pull this thing off. He and director Barry Levinson have enough truth in the story to make you wonder what is real news and what is just promotion the next time you see CNN. Many of the supporting players impact the story with mere presence: Denis Leary as a quote man, Willie Nelson as a songwriter. The three leads are magnificent. With the similarities between history and this film, Wag will forever linked to the Monica Lewinsky saga. This video version contains a new minidocumentary focusing on the parallels of the film with the Bill Clinton scandal, including comments from director Barry Levinson and hosted by newsman Tom Brokaw. --Doug Thomas
Description
Robert DeNiro stars as a Washington spinmaster who needs a war to distract public's attention from a sex scandal involving the President. Dustin Hoffman received an Academy Award nomination for his role in this biting political satire.
Customer Reviews:
It could have been true.......2007-06-27
Yes the dog needs to be wagged severely by the tail. If politics is nothing but a branch of show business, it is nothing but tall tales and scary stories. In this film they fantasize the re-election of a President based on a Hollywood secret production of a story that sounds truer than reality. The President is going to be accused of some sexual misconduct - read my lips - twelve days before election day, so his advisers invent a war in Albania which is deflated by the CIA who do not like, for once, what is not true. Then they go on with the invention of a US prisoner of war left behind and finally freed and brought home, a Rip van Winkle of modern times. Poor Schumann. A rape-offender who is severely psychotic and who tries to rape the first woman he sees through a diner's window in the middle of nowhere. He ends up killed by the husband of the woman and he is brought back home, directly to Arlington. Superb. Unluckily the producer turns psychotic in his turn and wants the credit for the super production that re-elected the President. So he dies of a massive heart attack on his way to Hollywood, picked by some CIA agents, or is it FBI, and does it have any importance at all? They could have really done the same thing with the war on Iraq. It could and would have been a lot more palatable than it is right now. The film is greatly done though it has little depth and as a comic taste and bitter after taste. Of course it is all a story and it has no truth whatsoever, does it not?
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne
Wag? My tail didn't wag an instance..........2007-02-08
Clearly by the rating you have to be expecting some sort of negative positions on the film, and you'd be right. Because in my opinion this film was trumped up to comedy gold, only to realize itself as nothing but a false laugh in the back of an empty theatre. Yeah, I don't know what that sentence entirely means, but I do know that Wag the Dog lacked realism (except for the end, but assuming there's a chance you may actually watch this I figure I'll be nice enough not to spoil this.)
The plot centers around DeNiro, who is a political mind who is supposed to help control public opinion in the face of a presumably soon-to-be leaked sex scandal. To spin his magic DeNiro teams up with a Hollywood producer, played by Dustin Hoffman, who plans on making this cover-up the masterpiece of his career.
Well, that's the story. So now you know the basic beginning to what I believe is far from a masterpiece, as Wag the Dog lands much closer to a master flop.
A Very Wicked And Prophetic Satire.......2007-01-30
When this movie came out, Monica Lewinski's 15 minutes of fame (or infamy) had not started ticking, though people thought it was realistic especially with Clinton in the White House. A year later, Clinton was bombing Iraq, which coincidentally coincided with when the impeachment hearings took place (starting the day the hearings were to begin, though they were postponed a day, and ending right after the hearings ended, being termed a success).
The makers of the movie for some reason thought this movie needed an R rating and used the "f" word more than necessary (though I feel it being used once is much more than necessary). Aside from that, the movie was funny (e.g. a girl running with Doritos), with cynicism concerning the reporting of news. By the way, this movie was not a direct attack on Clinton but rather looking at the way politicians work.
Dustin Hoffman earned his best actor nomination. Robert DeNiro deserved one as well.
Classic for all the times (10 stars from 5).......2007-01-28
Somebody can say that it's good "political comedy" Yes it is. And it have to be proud of it.
The person who made a script of this movie is real genius (or he really was a part of American electoral process. And i believe that in real live everything goes exactly like this and no other.
This movie didn't had much commercial (maybe because this movie only for intelligent people), but it should be anyway. This film is BRILLIANT, scenario is brilliant, actors game is brilliant, directing is brilliant.
Just no words for this film - only positive emotions!!!
In this movie you can see in action how government plays with people's mind.
That's movie that you have to see: buy it, rent it, steal it... but this movie is not only Classic of Hollywood, but also Classic of life (with brilliant actors game of Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro).
Must see movie!!!
Wag the Dog.......2007-01-08
"Wag the Dog" is one of the best political satires ever made. In fact, it might be one of the best satires ever made about anything. The film is co-written by David Mamet ('Edmond'), directed by Barry Levinson (who, in 2006, directed another political comedy "Man of the Year"), and stars two two-time Oscar winning actors. The movie stars Robert De Niro as Conrad Brean, the Mr. Fix It of the White House. After the President (whom we never see) is accused of sexual misconduct with a teenage girl, 11 days before the election, Brean is hired to create something that will take the focus away from that. With his assistant Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) in tow, Brean hires Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to stage and execute a fraudulent war. Motts gets to work, staging a war in Albania and hiring a young girl named Tracy Lime (a young Kirsten Dunst) to portray an Albanian girl running away from terrorists. One of the funniest scenes in the film occurs while filming the fake war.
Tracy: ...I get to put this on my resume, right?
Brean: Actually, no. You can never tell anyone you did this.
Tracy: What could they do to me?
Brean: They'd come to your house and kill you.
As the media eats up the war, taking the attention away from the sex scandal, they find themselves in need of another made-up story. So, they come up with a war hero who is still stranded "behind enemy lines in Albania." When they become ready to unveil him to the nation, they find themselves in even more trouble. Turns out the war hero, William Schumann (Woody Harrelson) is unlike any war hero you've ever seen. "Wag the Dog" is filled with scathing wit and is masterfully directed by Levinson. It's Hoffman and De Niro that really make this film as good as it is. They play so well off of each other that they both eat up the scenery. The movie features a whole jubilee of other stars including Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, and William H. Macy to name a few. The film was made during the Clinton administration and there's a lot of parallels with that, but the movie is still relevant today. It was one of the highest praised films the year it was released, but few people see it now. Hopefully anyone who does stumble upon it will give it a chance; it's truly a terrific and very funny movie.
GRADE: A
![Wag the Dog [Region 2]](http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/21KJAPN82WL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- It could have been true
- Wag? My tail didn't wag an instance...
- A Very Wicked And Prophetic Satire
- Classic for all the times (10 stars from 5)
- Wag the Dog
|
Wag the Dog [Region 2]
Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Robert De Niro , Anne Heche , Denis Leary , and Willie Nelson
Director: Barry Levinson
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Byrne, Jenna
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Cottle, Jason
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Dunst, Kirsten
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DeNiro, Robert
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Harrelson, Woody
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Heche, Anne
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Higgins, John Michael
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hocke, Bernard
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hoffman, Dustin
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Leary, Denis
| ( L )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Macy, William H
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Martin, Andrea
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Nelson, Willie
| ( N )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Plakson, Suzie
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Williams, Harland
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
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| Video
Levinson, Barry
| ( L )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
( W )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- Primary Colors
- Thirteen Days (Infinifilm Edition)
- All the President's Men (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
- Bulworth
ASIN: B00004RYGN |
Amazon.com essential video
Not only was Barry Levinson's comedy shot in a relatively fast period of 29 days, the satire of politics and show business feels as if it were made yesterday. There's a fresh spin quite evident here, a nervy satire of a presidential crisis and the people who whitewash the facts. The main players are a mysterious Mr. Fix-It (Robert De Niro), veteran Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman), and a White House aide (Anne Heche). Can the president's molesting of a young girl be buried in the two weeks before an election? A war in Albania just might do the trick. In the good old days, the president would just invade. With modern technology, it's even cleaner. The hungry press looks for any lead, convenient misinformation is created by the latest Hollywood fakery ("all developed by the new James Cameron film") creating images and merchandise all instantly packaged. And it must be real, because it's on TV. David Mamet's script never questions the morals or the absolute secrecy needed to pull this thing off. He and director Barry Levinson have enough truth in the story to make you wonder what is real news and what is just promotion the next time you see CNN. Many of the supporting players impact the story with mere presence: Denis Leary as a quote man, Willie Nelson as a songwriter. The three leads are magnificent. With the similarities between history and this film, Wag will forever linked to the Monica Lewinsky saga. This video version contains a new minidocumentary focusing on the parallels of the film with the Bill Clinton scandal, including comments from director Barry Levinson and hosted by newsman Tom Brokaw. --Doug Thomas
Customer Reviews:
It could have been true.......2007-06-27
Yes the dog needs to be wagged severely by the tail. If politics is nothing but a branch of show business, it is nothing but tall tales and scary stories. In this film they fantasize the re-election of a President based on a Hollywood secret production of a story that sounds truer than reality. The President is going to be accused of some sexual misconduct - read my lips - twelve days before election day, so his advisers invent a war in Albania which is deflated by the CIA who do not like, for once, what is not true. Then they go on with the invention of a US prisoner of war left behind and finally freed and brought home, a Rip van Winkle of modern times. Poor Schumann. A rape-offender who is severely psychotic and who tries to rape the first woman he sees through a diner's window in the middle of nowhere. He ends up killed by the husband of the woman and he is brought back home, directly to Arlington. Superb. Unluckily the producer turns psychotic in his turn and wants the credit for the super production that re-elected the President. So he dies of a massive heart attack on his way to Hollywood, picked by some CIA agents, or is it FBI, and does it have any importance at all? They could have really done the same thing with the war on Iraq. It could and would have been a lot more palatable than it is right now. The film is greatly done though it has little depth and as a comic taste and bitter after taste. Of course it is all a story and it has no truth whatsoever, does it not?
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne
Wag? My tail didn't wag an instance..........2007-02-08
Clearly by the rating you have to be expecting some sort of negative positions on the film, and you'd be right. Because in my opinion this film was trumped up to comedy gold, only to realize itself as nothing but a false laugh in the back of an empty theatre. Yeah, I don't know what that sentence entirely means, but I do know that Wag the Dog lacked realism (except for the end, but assuming there's a chance you may actually watch this I figure I'll be nice enough not to spoil this.)
The plot centers around DeNiro, who is a political mind who is supposed to help control public opinion in the face of a presumably soon-to-be leaked sex scandal. To spin his magic DeNiro teams up with a Hollywood producer, played by Dustin Hoffman, who plans on making this cover-up the masterpiece of his career.
Well, that's the story. So now you know the basic beginning to what I believe is far from a masterpiece, as Wag the Dog lands much closer to a master flop.
A Very Wicked And Prophetic Satire.......2007-01-30
When this movie came out, Monica Lewinski's 15 minutes of fame (or infamy) had not started ticking, though people thought it was realistic especially with Clinton in the White House. A year later, Clinton was bombing Iraq, which coincidentally coincided with when the impeachment hearings took place (starting the day the hearings were to begin, though they were postponed a day, and ending right after the hearings ended, being termed a success).
The makers of the movie for some reason thought this movie needed an R rating and used the "f" word more than necessary (though I feel it being used once is much more than necessary). Aside from that, the movie was funny (e.g. a girl running with Doritos), with cynicism concerning the reporting of news. By the way, this movie was not a direct attack on Clinton but rather looking at the way politicians work.
Dustin Hoffman earned his best actor nomination. Robert DeNiro deserved one as well.
Classic for all the times (10 stars from 5).......2007-01-28
Somebody can say that it's good "political comedy" Yes it is. And it have to be proud of it.
The person who made a script of this movie is real genius (or he really was a part of American electoral process. And i believe that in real live everything goes exactly like this and no other.
This movie didn't had much commercial (maybe because this movie only for intelligent people), but it should be anyway. This film is BRILLIANT, scenario is brilliant, actors game is brilliant, directing is brilliant.
Just no words for this film - only positive emotions!!!
In this movie you can see in action how government plays with people's mind.
That's movie that you have to see: buy it, rent it, steal it... but this movie is not only Classic of Hollywood, but also Classic of life (with brilliant actors game of Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro).
Must see movie!!!
Wag the Dog.......2007-01-08
"Wag the Dog" is one of the best political satires ever made. In fact, it might be one of the best satires ever made about anything. The film is co-written by David Mamet ('Edmond'), directed by Barry Levinson (who, in 2006, directed another political comedy "Man of the Year"), and stars two two-time Oscar winning actors. The movie stars Robert De Niro as Conrad Brean, the Mr. Fix It of the White House. After the President (whom we never see) is accused of sexual misconduct with a teenage girl, 11 days before the election, Brean is hired to create something that will take the focus away from that. With his assistant Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) in tow, Brean hires Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to stage and execute a fraudulent war. Motts gets to work, staging a war in Albania and hiring a young girl named Tracy Lime (a young Kirsten Dunst) to portray an Albanian girl running away from terrorists. One of the funniest scenes in the film occurs while filming the fake war.
Tracy: ...I get to put this on my resume, right?
Brean: Actually, no. You can never tell anyone you did this.
Tracy: What could they do to me?
Brean: They'd come to your house and kill you.
As the media eats up the war, taking the attention away from the sex scandal, they find themselves in need of another made-up story. So, they come up with a war hero who is still stranded "behind enemy lines in Albania." When they become ready to unveil him to the nation, they find themselves in even more trouble. Turns out the war hero, William Schumann (Woody Harrelson) is unlike any war hero you've ever seen. "Wag the Dog" is filled with scathing wit and is masterfully directed by Levinson. It's Hoffman and De Niro that really make this film as good as it is. They play so well off of each other that they both eat up the scenery. The movie features a whole jubilee of other stars including Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, and William H. Macy to name a few. The film was made during the Clinton administration and there's a lot of parallels with that, but the movie is still relevant today. It was one of the highest praised films the year it was released, but few people see it now. Hopefully anyone who does stumble upon it will give it a chance; it's truly a terrific and very funny movie.
GRADE: A
![Wag the Dog [Region 2]](http://www.germanelectronics88.com/noimage.gif)
Average customer rating:
- It could have been true
- Wag? My tail didn't wag an instance...
- A Very Wicked And Prophetic Satire
- Classic for all the times (10 stars from 5)
- Wag the Dog
|
Wag the Dog [Region 2]
Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Robert De Niro , Anne Heche , Denis Leary , and Willie Nelson
Director: Barry Levinson
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Byrne, Jenna
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Cottle, Jason
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Dunst, Kirsten
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DeNiro, Robert
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Harrelson, Woody
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Heche, Anne
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Higgins, John Michael
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hocke, Bernard
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hoffman, Dustin
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Leary, Denis
| ( L )
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| DVD
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Macy, William H
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Martin, Andrea
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Nelson, Willie
| ( N )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Plakson, Suzie
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Williams, Harland
| ( W )
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| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Levinson, Barry
| ( L )
| Directors
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| DVD
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DVDs Under $14.99
| Today's Deals in DVD
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( W )
| Titles
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Similar Items:
- Primary Colors
- Thirteen Days (Infinifilm Edition)
- All the President's Men (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
- Bulworth
ASIN: B00004RCK1 |
Amazon.com essential video
Not only was Barry Levinson's comedy shot in a relatively fast period of 29 days, the satire of politics and show business feels as if it were made yesterday. There's a fresh spin quite evident here, a nervy satire of a presidential crisis and the people who whitewash the facts. The main players are a mysterious Mr. Fix-It (Robert De Niro), veteran Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman), and a White House aide (Anne Heche). Can the president's molesting of a young girl be buried in the two weeks before an election? A war in Albania just might do the trick. In the good old days, the president would just invade. With modern technology, it's even cleaner. The hungry press looks for any lead, convenient misinformation is created by the latest Hollywood fakery ("all developed by the new James Cameron film") creating images and merchandise all instantly packaged. And it must be real, because it's on TV. David Mamet's script never questions the morals or the absolute secrecy needed to pull this thing off. He and director Barry Levinson have enough truth in the story to make you wonder what is real news and what is just promotion the next time you see CNN. Many of the supporting players impact the story with mere presence: Denis Leary as a quote man, Willie Nelson as a songwriter. The three leads are magnificent. With the similarities between history and this film, Wag will forever linked to the Monica Lewinsky saga. This video version contains a new minidocumentary focusing on the parallels of the film with the Bill Clinton scandal, including comments from director Barry Levinson and hosted by newsman Tom Brokaw. --Doug Thomas
Customer Reviews:
It could have been true.......2007-06-27
Yes the dog needs to be wagged severely by the tail. If politics is nothing but a branch of show business, it is nothing but tall tales and scary stories. In this film they fantasize the re-election of a President based on a Hollywood secret production of a story that sounds truer than reality. The President is going to be accused of some sexual misconduct - read my lips - twelve days before election day, so his advisers invent a war in Albania which is deflated by the CIA who do not like, for once, what is not true. Then they go on with the invention of a US prisoner of war left behind and finally freed and brought home, a Rip van Winkle of modern times. Poor Schumann. A rape-offender who is severely psychotic and who tries to rape the first woman he sees through a diner's window in the middle of nowhere. He ends up killed by the husband of the woman and he is brought back home, directly to Arlington. Superb. Unluckily the producer turns psychotic in his turn and wants the credit for the super production that re-elected the President. So he dies of a massive heart attack on his way to Hollywood, picked by some CIA agents, or is it FBI, and does it have any importance at all? They could have really done the same thing with the war on Iraq. It could and would have been a lot more palatable than it is right now. The film is greatly done though it has little depth and as a comic taste and bitter after taste. Of course it is all a story and it has no truth whatsoever, does it not?
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne
Wag? My tail didn't wag an instance..........2007-02-08
Clearly by the rating you have to be expecting some sort of negative positions on the film, and you'd be right. Because in my opinion this film was trumped up to comedy gold, only to realize itself as nothing but a false laugh in the back of an empty theatre. Yeah, I don't know what that sentence entirely means, but I do know that Wag the Dog lacked realism (except for the end, but assuming there's a chance you may actually watch this I figure I'll be nice enough not to spoil this.)
The plot centers around DeNiro, who is a political mind who is supposed to help control public opinion in the face of a presumably soon-to-be leaked sex scandal. To spin his magic DeNiro teams up with a Hollywood producer, played by Dustin Hoffman, who plans on making this cover-up the masterpiece of his career.
Well, that's the story. So now you know the basic beginning to what I believe is far from a masterpiece, as Wag the Dog lands much closer to a master flop.
A Very Wicked And Prophetic Satire.......2007-01-30
When this movie came out, Monica Lewinski's 15 minutes of fame (or infamy) had not started ticking, though people thought it was realistic especially with Clinton in the White House. A year later, Clinton was bombing Iraq, which coincidentally coincided with when the impeachment hearings took place (starting the day the hearings were to begin, though they were postponed a day, and ending right after the hearings ended, being termed a success).
The makers of the movie for some reason thought this movie needed an R rating and used the "f" word more than necessary (though I feel it being used once is much more than necessary). Aside from that, the movie was funny (e.g. a girl running with Doritos), with cynicism concerning the reporting of news. By the way, this movie was not a direct attack on Clinton but rather looking at the way politicians work.
Dustin Hoffman earned his best actor nomination. Robert DeNiro deserved one as well.
Classic for all the times (10 stars from 5).......2007-01-28
Somebody can say that it's good "political comedy" Yes it is. And it have to be proud of it.
The person who made a script of this movie is real genius (or he really was a part of American electoral process. And i believe that in real live everything goes exactly like this and no other.
This movie didn't had much commercial (maybe because this movie only for intelligent people), but it should be anyway. This film is BRILLIANT, scenario is brilliant, actors game is brilliant, directing is brilliant.
Just no words for this film - only positive emotions!!!
In this movie you can see in action how government plays with people's mind.
That's movie that you have to see: buy it, rent it, steal it... but this movie is not only Classic of Hollywood, but also Classic of life (with brilliant actors game of Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro).
Must see movie!!!
Wag the Dog.......2007-01-08
"Wag the Dog" is one of the best political satires ever made. In fact, it might be one of the best satires ever made about anything. The film is co-written by David Mamet ('Edmond'), directed by Barry Levinson (who, in 2006, directed another political comedy "Man of the Year"), and stars two two-time Oscar winning actors. The movie stars Robert De Niro as Conrad Brean, the Mr. Fix It of the White House. After the President (whom we never see) is accused of sexual misconduct with a teenage girl, 11 days before the election, Brean is hired to create something that will take the focus away from that. With his assistant Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) in tow, Brean hires Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to stage and execute a fraudulent war. Motts gets to work, staging a war in Albania and hiring a young girl named Tracy Lime (a young Kirsten Dunst) to portray an Albanian girl running away from terrorists. One of the funniest scenes in the film occurs while filming the fake war.
Tracy: ...I get to put this on my resume, right?
Brean: Actually, no. You can never tell anyone you did this.
Tracy: What could they do to me?
Brean: They'd come to your house and kill you.
As the media eats up the war, taking the attention away from the sex scandal, they find themselves in need of another made-up story. So, they come up with a war hero who is still stranded "behind enemy lines in Albania." When they become ready to unveil him to the nation, they find themselves in even more trouble. Turns out the war hero, William Schumann (Woody Harrelson) is unlike any war hero you've ever seen. "Wag the Dog" is filled with scathing wit and is masterfully directed by Levinson. It's Hoffman and De Niro that really make this film as good as it is. They play so well off of each other that they both eat up the scenery. The movie features a whole jubilee of other stars including Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, and William H. Macy to name a few. The film was made during the Clinton administration and there's a lot of parallels with that, but the movie is still relevant today. It was one of the highest praised films the year it was released, but few people see it now. Hopefully anyone who does stumble upon it will give it a chance; it's truly a terrific and very funny movie.
GRADE: A
Average customer rating:
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Charlie Rose with Barry Levinson (January 7, 1998)
Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B000IU34H8
Release Date: 2006-09-18 |
Description
Barry Levinson made his directorial debut in 1982 with the coming-of-age classic Diner. It marked the first of his Baltimore films, which include Tin Men and Avalon. He has also directed such critical and commercial successes as Rain Man, Good Morning, Vietnam and Bugsy. Tonight, he is on to talk about his latest project, Wag the Dog, which stars Anne Heche, Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman and has a screenplay written by David Mamet. The movie is about a Washington spin doctor who distracts the electorate from a presidential sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood producer to create a fake war.
Average customer rating:
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Charlie Rose (August 26, 1999)
Manufacturer: Charlie Rose Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B000KC8KEQ
Release Date: 2006-12-21 |
Description
A rebroadcasted hour-long interview with actor Dustin Hoffman that originally aired May 3, 1999. Following clips of his some of his most memorable performances, Hoffman talks about his growth as an actor and shares a Robert Pinsky poem which he finds inspiring. Finally, he introduces A Walk on the Moon, a film in which he does not act but has produced.
Description
First, Barry Levinson, veteran film-maker, discusses his latest acclaimed film, Wag the Dog, which stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro. Then, up and coming film-maker Paul Thomas Anderson discusses his new film Boogie Nights and his status as an emerging acclaimed director.
Average customer rating:
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Charlie Rose (September 6, 1999)
Manufacturer: Charlie Rose Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000KC8KDW
Release Date: 2006-12-21 |
Description
A rebroadcast of a conversation about the Museum of Modern Art's exhibition in honor of the 100th anniversary of filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock's birth. His only child Pat Hitchcock O'Connell, curator of the exhibit Laurence Kardish, and director Peter Bogdanovich discuss Hitchcock's life and groundbreaking work. This segment originally aired May 5, 1999.||Later, a rebroadcast of an interview with filmmaker Barry Levinson, who talks about directing a number of movies including Wag the Dog, Rainman, and Diner. He is to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Comedy Festival. This segment originally appeared February 2, 1999.
Description
Fouad Ajami and Robert Satloff talk about the transfer of power from the dying King Hussein of Jordan, royal politics, the King's commitment to peace, and the stability of the Middle East. Then, filmmaker Barry Levinson talks about his films Wag the Dog and Liberty Heights, his TV series Homicide, his long career in the movie industry, and some of the actors who have worked on his films.
Average customer rating:
- Here's the deal
- Very good actually
- Bizarre collection...
- Disappointed
- Well...
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The Robert De Niro Collection (Analyze This/A Bronx Tale/Goodfellas/Heat/Wag The Dog)
Starring: Robert De Niro
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Similar Items:
- Casino (Widescreen 10th Anniversary Edition)
- Donnie Brasco (Special Edition)
- Taxi Driver (Collector's Edition)
- Once Upon a Time in America (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- Raging Bull (Special Edition)
ASIN: B00000JSJR
Release Date: 2000-09-15 |
Description
This great collection of award winning actor Robert DeNiro includes five of his best-selling films on DVD--- Anayze This, A Bronx Tale, Goodfellas, Heat, and Wag the Dog.
Customer Reviews:
Here's the deal.......2005-05-12
A lot of people have complained about this collection because they claim it doesn't house De Niro's best films. Let me break it down this way: Warner Bros. released this box set (as well as an Al Pacino version) and they are only allowed to include films licensed through WB. Therefore, most Martin Scorsese/De Niro classics such as Raging Bull (MGM), Taxi Driver (Columbia), Casino (Universal) etc. cannot legally be included. They'd have to make some sort of deal with all the major movie studios, and that's practically impossible.
So, for what's included here, it's a great place to start a De Niro collection. You can usually find it on the market for $59.99 -- divide it by five... yeah, it's a pretty cheap deal when you consider the fact that these DVDs by themselves cost around $11 - $12 in the average video store.
ANALYZE THIS -- Not a great film, but De Niro is very funny and it's an essential De Niro movie as it's not only one of his best comedic performances, but one of his most popular films. If you're a De Niro buff, and you don't own this, you might get some skeptical glances from other fans.
WAG THE DOG -- An underrated, sharp satire with a great ensemble cast, well directed by Barry Levinson ("Rain Man"). I can see why some might not like it, but if you enjoyed "Bulworth" and similar political satires, you'll like this. (For the record, I thought it was far subtler and more intellectual than "Bulworth" was, although they're both fine comedies.) Dustin Hoffman is actually better than De Niro in this in my opinion - he's really funny.
GOODFELLAS - This has since been released on a Special Edition DVD but this standard-disc version is still good enough... it's got the same transfer as the SE version and the trailers as well... it doesn't have the commentary or the documentaries, but I heard the commentary -- split into different sections -- is a waste of time and the docs are only so-so... at $10 it's a pretty good deal and one of the top five De Niro films of all time. You can always upgrade letter.
HEAT -- This has also been re-released recently but nevertheless this disc is pretty good for an older DVD release... the movie itself is awesome. The new DVD is better, but again, you can always upgrade if you enjoy it enough.
A BRONX TALE -- Robert De Niro directed this and in my opinion it's one of the greatest gangster/Mafia films ever made, and unique because it deals with different aspects of the genre that even Martin Scorsese doesn't touch upon in some of his films. De Niro is excellent in it and he does a terrific job behind the camera. I'm thrilled to hear he's directing a film next year -- after seeing this I was in awe of just how talented he is behind the camera.
So overall if you're new to De Niro this is a good place to start, and if you're building up a collection there's a good chance you're going to want most of these films sooner or later... at a pricetag of $60 it's a pretty good deal and I'd recommend it to anyone. The only other De Niro film I know of that WB had the rights to and should have included here was "Sleepers," also directed by Levinson ("Wag the Dog")... you should seek that out after buying this, it's a good movie.
Very good actually.......2004-01-02
Although the collection is of films from many places everyone one of them is great. Analyze This - one of the most dramatically funny films of Deniro's carrer since Midnight Run. A Bronx Tale - which he directed and was also fine. Goodfellas - a very good true storie of the mafia. Heat - one of the last successfull action drama films of Deniro before Casino in 1995. And Wag the Dog-although different from his other films proves to be a winner with Dustin Hoffman as co-star and should be enjoyed by all fans of Deniro. If you are a Deniro fan then I definitely reccomend this collection.
Bizarre collection..........2003-03-28
What a weird selection of an actor's work. It would have made more sense if they did a Scorsese/De Niro compliation. Now there's a winning collection: Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Mean Streets, and The King Of Comedy.
But if you're a fan of everything De Niro, this is a cost effective means of expanding your collection.
Disappointed.......2002-10-26
For such a great actor, I expected to see his best films-not a collection of his so-so films. The movies are good, but it's a huge diappointment to true De Niro fans.
Well..........2002-09-14
Too good of an actor to not have put his better movies.
DVD:
- Funny Face
- School Daze
- Pablo Francisco - Bits And Pieces: Live From Orange County
- Modern Times (2 Disc Special Edition)
- Father of the Bride (15th Anniversary Edition)
- Sweet Home Alabama
- Let It Ride
- Harvey
- Shallow Hal
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 - I Accuse My Parents
DVD List
DVD
DVD
Bonhoeffer
Band: Band : DVD
Once Upon a Time in China II
DVD: Rapid Fire
Dokken - One Live Night
