(Review originally written at 5 March 2005)
Scariest thing about "Wag the Dog" is that it has a very realistic feel. Sure, there are some far fetched things but overall the movie leaves the impression like this is something that could actually happen in real life or already maybe has happened.
But "Wag the Dog" is more entertaining than anything. Yes, in a way you can compare it to "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" even though it is not as brilliant of course. The subject is treated in a very entertaining and comical way and that is what makes "Wag the Dog" a very fun movie to watch. But yet it also knows how to bring over the important political message of the movie. In that way this movie is comparable to "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb".
The main cast is very good. Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman are great in their second movie together ("Sleepers" was the first which was also directed by Barry Levinson and they can now be seen together again in "Meet the Fockers"). It sounds weird but they really have some chemistry together. Anne Heche however at times irritated me and also isn't exactly the most talented actress I've seen. There also is a very good and entertaining supporting cast with actors such as Willie Nelson, William H. Macy, Woody Harrelson, a still very young Kirsten Dunst and Craig T. Nelson in a uncredited role as 'enemy' Senator John Neal. Really entertaining are all of the Woody Harrelson sequence's, they are highly fun and might very well be the best parts of the movie.
A very fun entertaining movie with a realistic feel! Highly recommendable.
8/10
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