Dustin Hoffman
Stanley Motss
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Jan 9, 1998 · A 1997 film starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro as a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer who create a war in Albania to distract from a presidential sex scandal. IMDb provides cast and crew information, user and critic reviews, trivia, goofs, quotes, and more.
- (89K)
- Comedy, Drama
- Barry Levinson
- 1998-01-09
Wag the dog is, as a political term, the act of creating a diversion from a damaging issue usually through military force. It stems from the generic use of the term to mean a small and seemingly unimportant entity (the tail) controls a bigger, more important one (the dog).
In need of outside help to quell the situation, presidential adviser Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) enlists the expertise of spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro), who decides a distraction is the...
- (78)
- Barry Levinson
- R
- Dustin Hoffman
A comedy about a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer who create a fake war to cover up a presidential sex scandal. The plot involves media manipulation, deception, and a tragic twist with a POW named Schumann.
Learn the history and usage of the idiom the tail wagging the dog, which means something less important or powerful controlling something more important or powerful. Find out how the 1997 film Wag the Dog added a new meaning of superfluous military action to distract from domestic scandal.
Jan 2, 1998 · A comedy about a White House spin doctor who creates a fake war with Albania to distract from a sex scandal. Ebert praises the film's realistic and absurd elements, and the performances of Hoffman, De Niro and Harrelson.
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Aug 17, 2015 · When a scandal threatens the president's re-election, a spin doctor and a Hollywood producer team up to create a fake war. Watch the original theatrical trailer of Wag the Dog, a hilarious satire ...
- 3 min
- 559.1K
- Warner Bros.
