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Wag the Dog
Director Barry Levinson and a solid all-star cast knock it out of the park with 1997's Wag the Dog, a deliciously disturbing black comedy that brings Washington DC and Hollywood together to weave a tale around the art of spin doctoring and making a merciless comment about the gullibility of the American people.
The President is seeking re-election and eleven days before the election, it is revealed that the President has been accused of sexual misconduct and DC politico fixer Conrad Brean is brought in to find a way to bury this scandal until the election. Brean decides the only way to do this is to make America believe that the President has declared war with Albania through elaborate photo ops and sound bytes. Brean flies to Hollywood and convince Hollywood producer Stanley Motss to take on the monumental task of creating the illusion of a war through the aid of Hollywood smoke and mirrors.
Motss' plans to pull of this ultimate illusion include hiring a young actress to appear in fake news footage as an Albanian citizen trying to escape an attack after the death of her family and using a heavily medicated convict to play a returning prisoner of war. Unfortunately, plans begin to unravel when the CIA enters the picture and know exactly what's going on.
Hilary Heinken's Oscar-worthy screenplay, based on the book "American Hero" by Larry Beinhart treads some really dangerous territory here that, at times, makes the viewer question everything they have ever seen on the evening news. The scene where they create the footage with the Albanian girl is frightening in its simplicity and complete effectiveness, creating the illusion of a girl running through a worn torn country with little more than a sound and lighting board.
Then there's the practical aspects of what's going on here...what Motss and Brean are doing here costs more than a couple of dollars and despite the worried White House staffer, played by Anne Heche, seemingly always aware of the bottom line, you can't help but wonder what all this costs and exactly where the money was coming from.
I also found it deeply disturbing how the President seemed to be down on everything these people are doing to keep him in the White House, legitimized in a way by Levinson's choice to have us never see the President's face, which didn't make a lot of what he went along with here any less greasy. On the other hand, I loved watching Stanley Motss' passion about this project, which he decides is going to be his greatest work ever and it is probably was.
Levinson's direction is detail-oriented as always and his cast is nothing short of superb. Dustin Hoffman received his seventh Oscar nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor for his slightly nutty Stanley Motss and Robert De Niro is effectively understated as Brean. I have rarely enjoyed Heche onscreen more and Denis Leary, Woody Harrelson, Craig T. Nelson, and William H. Macy standout in the supporting cast. Film editing and music also deserve a shout out but this film is really a testament to the genius that is Barry Levinson, a film experience that will have you laughing but wondering if you should be.
Director Barry Levinson and a solid all-star cast knock it out of the park with 1997's Wag the Dog, a deliciously disturbing black comedy that brings Washington DC and Hollywood together to weave a tale around the art of spin doctoring and making a merciless comment about the gullibility of the American people.
The President is seeking re-election and eleven days before the election, it is revealed that the President has been accused of sexual misconduct and DC politico fixer Conrad Brean is brought in to find a way to bury this scandal until the election. Brean decides the only way to do this is to make America believe that the President has declared war with Albania through elaborate photo ops and sound bytes. Brean flies to Hollywood and convince Hollywood producer Stanley Motss to take on the monumental task of creating the illusion of a war through the aid of Hollywood smoke and mirrors.
Motss' plans to pull of this ultimate illusion include hiring a young actress to appear in fake news footage as an Albanian citizen trying to escape an attack after the death of her family and using a heavily medicated convict to play a returning prisoner of war. Unfortunately, plans begin to unravel when the CIA enters the picture and know exactly what's going on.
Hilary Heinken's Oscar-worthy screenplay, based on the book "American Hero" by Larry Beinhart treads some really dangerous territory here that, at times, makes the viewer question everything they have ever seen on the evening news. The scene where they create the footage with the Albanian girl is frightening in its simplicity and complete effectiveness, creating the illusion of a girl running through a worn torn country with little more than a sound and lighting board.
Then there's the practical aspects of what's going on here...what Motss and Brean are doing here costs more than a couple of dollars and despite the worried White House staffer, played by Anne Heche, seemingly always aware of the bottom line, you can't help but wonder what all this costs and exactly where the money was coming from.
I also found it deeply disturbing how the President seemed to be down on everything these people are doing to keep him in the White House, legitimized in a way by Levinson's choice to have us never see the President's face, which didn't make a lot of what he went along with here any less greasy. On the other hand, I loved watching Stanley Motss' passion about this project, which he decides is going to be his greatest work ever and it is probably was.
Levinson's direction is detail-oriented as always and his cast is nothing short of superb. Dustin Hoffman received his seventh Oscar nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor for his slightly nutty Stanley Motss and Robert De Niro is effectively understated as Brean. I have rarely enjoyed Heche onscreen more and Denis Leary, Woody Harrelson, Craig T. Nelson, and William H. Macy standout in the supporting cast. Film editing and music also deserve a shout out but this film is really a testament to the genius that is Barry Levinson, a film experience that will have you laughing but wondering if you should be.