DeNiro and Dustin
Make This Dog Hunt

Those who have never considered the implications of believing everything they see on television will have a crash course in rude awakenings when they see Barry Levinson's new political comedy Wag the Dog. Is it possible that the American people could be coarsely manipulated by the Fourth Estate? Unfortunately, the answer appears to be YES.

Wag the Dog does not claim to be a documentary, unveiling some great truth like All the President's Men. In fact, there are times when it almost seems more like science fiction than fact, just because of the number of conspiracies involved. This film does ask some significant questions, however, about the amount of trust we place in our leaders, our media, and the things we see with our own eyes.

In Wag the Dog, Robert DeNiro plays Conrad Brean, a fixer of political problems. In this case, the President of the United States is involved in a sex scandal with a "Firefly Girl" -- something akin, but not related, to the Girl Scouts. All this a mere eleven days before Election Day. While we should be in moral outrage, screaming for the President to be caught, we watch in growing anticipation as Conrad works with a small group of the President's advisors (including Anne Heche as Ames) to make this problem go away. We wonder if Conrad can make it happen, and if the American people are dumb enough to buy it.

In order to make this problem disappear from the headlines, Conrad decides to start "the appearance of" a war and incorporates the help of a movie producer named Stanley Motss (played magnificently by Dustin Hoffman). Stanley sees this as the opportunity of a lifetime, and agrees to help Conrad create the necessary story and special footage necessary to sell the country on the idea that war is imminent. To help sell the product, Stanley brings in some creative friends. Johnny Green (Willie Nelson) is hired to write a song -- one which the American people can rally around, and The Fad King (Dennis Leary) is hired to find the merchandising angle so they can all make a profit off this war.

If this all seems insane and outrageous, you won't believe the rest. It becomes a true comedic nightmare involving the CIA, Presidential-hopeful Senator Neal (Craig T. Nelson), and one or two unexpected glitches.

Through it all, there are numerous echoes of reality. From the President wrought with scandal, to the simple phrase, "Deny, deny, deny." Most eerie for me was the haunting chorus of Johnny Green's song, "Defending Our Borders," which sounded a lot like Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" and was sung by a choir of people similar to USA for Africa.

Of course, the story offered its share of conspiracies as well. Was the US invasion in Grenada merely a diversion from the Marines killed in Beruit? Was the Gulf War sold to America on the basis of special effects which appeared to be a smart bomb guided into a chimney? Were yellow ribbons for the American hostages in Iran a spontaneous act by the American people, or had they been sold to fund some covert operation?

Needless to say, there are two ways to see Wag the Dog. It can be a harmless political comedy with no more meaning than Dave or My Fellow Americans. Or it can be something more, a story with a biting edge to its sarcasm, which -- when taken in context -- can tell us a great deal about our media's influence on politics and perceptions. I think Wag the Dog shouldn't be dismissed as just another political comedy. In light of recent accusations about the President, I -- for one -- will be eager to see how they make the story go away.

MY RATING: 8 out of 10.

RATED:
RUN TIME: 100 min.

DeNiro and Dustin Make This Dog Hunt

DeNiro and Dustin
Make This Dog Hunt