When a Firefly Girl accuses the president of sexual misconduct in the Oval Office less than two weeks before the upcoming election, White House official Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) is told to bring in Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro) to fix the situation and save the president's chances for reelection. This mysterious "fixer" fabricates a conflict with Albania in an effort to detract attention from the sex scandal, bringing in legendary Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to "produce" the war. When the CIA foils the initial plot, the creative team turns to a new story line, creating the saga of a U.S. soldier left behind enemy lines whom the president vows to find and return to American soil. Directed by Barry Levinson (DINER, RAIN MAN) and loosely based on Larry Beinhart's novel AMERICAN HERO, this merging of Hollywood and politics is both thought provoking and comical. The inspired casting of Hoffman as the self-absorbed producer and De Niro as the mysterious spin doctor is bolstered by a superb supporting cast that includes Denis Leary and Andrea Martin.

Theatrical release: January 9, 1998.

Filmed on location in Los Angeles, CA; Bakersfield, CA; and, Washington, D.C.

After filming began but before WAG THE DOG was released, the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky sex scandal broke and military action was threatened against Iraq.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Full Frame - 1.33
Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
Additional Release Material:
Interviews
Featurette: FROM WASHINGTON TO HOLLYWOOD & BACK
Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
Audio Commentary:
1. Barry Levinson - Director
2. Dustin Hoffman - Star
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Animated Interactive Menus
Text/Photo Galleries:
Filmographies: Cast & Crew
Biographies: Cast & Crew
Essay on Politics & the Media - THE LINE BETWEEN TRUTH AND FICTION

Dustin Hoffman: American actor
Robert De Niro: Oscar Winning Actor/Director/Producer
Anne Heche: Actor, SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS/PSYCHO
Denis Leary: American comedian/actor
Willie Nelson: American Singer/Songwriter
Andrea Martin: American Comic Actress
Kirsten Dunst: American actor, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE/BRING IT ON
William H. Macy: Stage/Film Actor, STATE AND MAIN (2000)
Craig T. Nelson: American Actor
Suzie Plakson: American Actress
John Michael Higgins: Actor/"The Late Shift"
Woody Harrelson: Woody of TV's "Cheers"
Michael Belson: 
Suzanne Cryer: 
Jason Cottle: 
David Koechner: 
Harland Williams: 
Sean Masterson: 
Bernard Hocke: 
Pops Staples: American Singer

Barry Levinson: Director/Screenwriter/Producer, DINER (1982)

Jane Rosenthal: 
Robert De Niro: Oscar Winning Actor/Director/Producer
Barry Levinson: Director/Screenwriter/Producer, DINER (1982)

Hilary Henkin: 
David Mamet: American Playwright/Director

Mark Knopfler: British Songwriter/Musician

Stu Linder: 

"...Like DR. STRANGELOVE, it makes you laugh, then it makes you wonder....For Hoffman, this is the best performance in some time..."
"...WAG THE DOG, besides being outrageous fun, is also a groundbreaker..."
"...Fitfully amusing political satire..."
"...As scarily plausible as it is swift, hilarious and impossible to resist....Splendidly acted, written with biting acuity...and directed in discreetly sidesplitting fashion..."
"...Extremely well-made..."
"...The sharp script makes for a movie sure to be appreciated by media junkies and conspiracy theorists alike..."