Wag the Dog

Director Barry Levinson's political and media satire based on Larry Beinhart's novel, American Hero. The President of the United States, who is up for re-election, has just been accused of sexual misconduct with a Girl Scout in the Oval Office. The White House staff calls in top spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert DeNiro) to do damage control. His idea: distract the press from the scandal by creating a war in Albania. In order to pull this off Brean hires Hollywood producer Stanely Moss (Dustin Hoffman) to choreograph his "pageant." Keep in mind this is satire... not truth, not that you'd notice it of course. Also starring Denis Leary, Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson. Featuring commentary by Hoffman, and Levinson. Also including "The Line Between Truth and Fiction." (1998) Running time: 97 minutes.