MovieChat Forums > Wag the Dog (1998) Discussion > BORING!!! Here's Why...

BORING!!! Here's Why...


I waited until now to watch Wag the Dog (1997), which earned Oscar nominations for Dustin Hoffman and for it's Screenplay. While a smart premise (a Hollywood producer is called upon to create a war to distract the general public from the President of the United States alleged affair with a underage girl), we don't really get to lift off. We never see the public's reactions, which in the 90s was a BIG thing to showcase people in bars, homes and Time Square of course- reacting and commenting. Since elections are coming up in the film, it would have been nice to see more of what the voters thought.

Instead we get treated to Dustin Hoffman (earning his last nomination to date), Robert De Niro (in an exceedingly quirky role) and Anne Heche (who's sole reason for nabbing so many roles in the late 90s was her relationship with superstar Ellen DeGeneres). We can see why her career never got further then the remake of Psycho (1998)- she's dreadful. Annoying, crass and speaks like Aaron Sorkin writes. How she was able to score this AND Donnie Brasco AND win critic awards for it is beyond me. She flat out sucks.

Kirsten Dunst has an inspired role as an actress hired to play the foreign victim of a war set in Albania (where William H. Macy in a thankless detective role, points out has NO Proof of anything going on). I liked when they turned Dunst's chip bag into a kitten digitally, and added a bridge and screaming. But after that we don't ever see anything else produced. Just Hoffman, Heche and De Niro all talking nonsense in limo rides, and appearances from the likes of Woody Harrelson- a druggie who seems to serve no purpose in the story other then talk like a hillbilly. Much like his Oscar nominated work the previous year in The People vs Larry Flynt.

Wag the Dog missed so many opportunities to showcase political corruption and manipulation. Instead of making it broader and showing us different perspectives (including the non existent President himself), we're instead treated to an Off-Broadway trio performance with little laughs and a lot of head scratching. The ending when Hoffman gets to do a "Big Speech" produces a chuckle at best. He was not Oscar worthy.

Perhaps this is for sophisticated liberals in the top one percent who can nod in acknowledgment of many of the 'inside' jokes that flew right over my head. But the fact that it managed to make $45 million domestically is the biggest laugh of all. Back in 1997 that was close to $100 Million.

FINAL GRADE: D

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You're right. This movie was really overrated at the time it was in theaters. A huge disappointment.

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