After the U.S. President is implicated in a sex scandal at the White House, with less than two weeks to go before he faces re-election for his second-term in office, a professional "Mr. Fix-It" is called upon by a presidential adviser to do a fast spin on the problem; determining that the nation's attention must be diverted to more pressings matters, he enlists the aid of an experienced movie producer and his troupe to fake a media-covered war with Albanian terrorists. Acerbic political satire, one which blessedly doesn't condescend to its audience; in this universe, we're all wildly corrupt. The effect might have been rancid or tasteless, however the all-star cast is comfortably self-amused and most of the targets are detonated with witty aplomb. The screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet, from Larry Beinhart's book "American Hero", ingeniously name-drops real-life political figures without amassing needless newsreel footage or "Forrest Gump"-styled razzle-dazzle (the scenario simply doesn't warrant it). The President and his party remain anonymous throughout, a decision which gives "Wag the Dog" a great deal of non-dated cache as a relevant political skewering. Though the final act does go off the rails, the remainder of the film is extremely fresh--perhaps not for the ages, but certainly for this era. **1/2 from ****
Review of Wag the Dog
