Wag the Dog
1997 film by Barry Levinson / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wag the Dog is a 1997 American political satire black comedy film produced and directed by Barry Levinson and starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro.[1] The film centers on a spin doctor and a Hollywood producer who fabricates a war in Albania to distract voters from a presidential sex scandal. The screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet was loosely adapted from Larry Beinhart's 1993 novel, American Hero.
Wag the Dog | |
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Directed by | Barry Levinson |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | American Hero by Larry Beinhart |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Robert Richardson |
Edited by | Stu Linder |
Music by | Mark Knopfler |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release dates |
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Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $15 million[1] |
Box office | $64.3 million[2] |
Wag the Dog was released one month before the news broke of the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal and the bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan by the Clinton administration in August 1998, which prompted the media to draw comparisons between the film and reality.[3] The comparison was also made in December 1998, when the administration initiated a bombing campaign of Iraq during Clinton's impeachment trial for the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.[4] It was made again in spring 1999, when the administration intervened in the Kosovo War and initiated a bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, which, coincidentally, bordered Albania and contained ethnic Albanians.[5] The film grossed $64.3 million on a $15 million budget, and was well received by critics, who praised the direction, performances, themes and humor. Hoffman received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and screenwriters David Mamet and Hilary Henkin were both nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.