Hyun-Young Kim

Mrs. Lodge

AP Language and Composition

12 February, 2012

Wag the Dog Movie Review

“Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail were smarter, then the tail would wag the dog.” –taglines of Wag the Dog (IMDb).

The media coverage is supposed to reveal the news to the public, and allows for the country to keep an eye on our government. But what if our politicians were to outsmart the media and the public, like the tail outsmarting the dog in the tagline? What if our politicians created artificial news to manipulate the public to serve their own political interests? This is the premise of Wag the Dog.

Two weeks before the Election Day, the President of the United States of America is accused of sexual misconduct. To cover it up he brings in the spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) (IMDb). Brean, working with Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) and presidential aide Winifred Aimes (Anne Heche), attempts to distract the public by staging a fake war, complete with a refugee, a war song, and a war hero (IMDb).

Wag the Dog (1997), directed by Barry Levinson, is a shining example of a satirical film (IMDb). To be a good satire, a film must “blend critical attitude with humor and wit” in order to “create a shock of recognition” so that “the vice will be expunged from the person or the society” (Harris). There is no doubt that a satirical film must be entertaining, as it’s still a movie and thereby a form of entertainment. The comedy, however, should be used to help get the message across, not dilute it. A balance must be struck between the two, so that the movie doesn’t get too dry due to lack of humor, but also so that the message isn’t’ drowned out by the comedy.

Wag the Dog certainly has the humor. Often the quirks and personalities of different characters provide comedy. When a song writer is told to stop the song he’s making and to make a ballad about a shoe, he sarcastically comments “I was just on my way to get drunk”. Similarly, as their plans deteriorate further and further, Stanley Motss constantly claims “This is NOTHING” and rants on about troubles he had in producing movies (Levinson). These jokes, however, are not without meaning. Indeed, Stanley’s repeated claims that “This is NOTHING” play a major role in the plot (Levinson). It leads him to believe that the years spent producing movies were to prepare him for this grand endeavor, resulting in him growing attached to the project, and being killed when he demands credit for it. Other jokes offer additional criticism. It’s humorous when Stanley and other talents state their various reasons why they don’t vote, but then you realize that the men manipulating the nation don’t even care to vote.

Indeed, these humors are used as a catalyst to tell the jokes. When Conrad is asked why he chose Albania to go to war with. He responds calmly “Why not?” and asks what anyone knows about Albania, implying that nobody cares about Albania (Levinson). This seems like another joke until you see the parallel to how little our nation knows about the countries that we’re fighting in.

This is used to warn us about the dangers of both falling easily into patriotism& national fervor and the dangers of having a limited source of news. You might laugh at how ridiculous the premise of faking a war may be, but then you’re reminded that the public in general are ignorant of details of the wars, and only remember the iconic images. It’s also funny to see a worker in a “F*** (A) Albania” T-Shirt, but once you realize anti-Japanese and anti-German tendencies in World War II or anti-Muslim tendencies after 9/11, you might reconsider how caught up the country can get (Levinson). Wag the Dog is able to use its humor not only to entertain, but also to make a point, as a good satire must do.

There are, however, criticisms about the movie’s settings. It’s very unrealistic for the entire media to be controlled, or for a fake war to be created. After all, what about the Albanian government? What are they doing? One reviewer comments how it’s similar to the conspiracy theorists that believe the moon landing was faked or that 9/11 was a setup (McEwen). According to him, the film is “fun, but not very believable” (McEwen). He has a valid point, and it’s not just the premise of faking a war. Other parts are equally outrageous, such as a goofy, on medication rapist being used as the war hero “Old Shoe”. It’s understandable that some might claim this is an ineffectual satire, since it’s a mere fantasy and can’t be related to actual society.

That’s, however, not quite true. Sure it may seem unbelievable and outrageous, but exaggeration is one of the most common tools when one creates a satire (Harris). It amplifies the vice and makes it easier for the audience to see. And what we’re meant to see isn’t some imaginary power that the government wields. What’s being criticized, what we’re meant to re-examine, is our own gullibility and limited information. It may seem a bit outlandish, but that doesn’t mean it’s not applicable. In the end, Wag the Dog is still a great piece of satire that can make one both amused and scared at the same time. There’s a reason why it was nominated for the Oscars twice (IMDb).

Works Cited

Harris, Robert. The Purpose of Satire. 24 October 2004. 12 February 2012 .

IMDb. Wag the Dog (1997) - IMDb. n.d. 12 February 2012 .

McEwen, John R. Film Quips --- Wag the Dog. 1998. 12 February 2012 .

Wag the Dog. Dir. Levinson. 1997.