--- title: "Wag the Dog: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/wag-the-dog/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/wag-the-dog" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Wag the Dog (1997): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Wag the Dog as a brisk, cynical satire on political spin and Hollywood’s ability to manufacture a convincing story. Praise centres on the comic precision, sharp dialogue and performances, with Dustin Hoffman’s self-infatuated producer the most consistently admired element. Robert De Niro also earns approval, while the favourable reviews find the connection between media manipulation and political power both funny and disturbingly plausible. The disagreement is over how hard the satire actually hits. Even some sympathetic reviews find its cleverness calculated and its cynicism too flattering to an audience that already distrusts politicians and the media. Others regard the premise as stronger than the finished film. The spread is wide: Time Out offers a marked dissent, finding the construction lazy, the skits soft and the leaps in the story poorly handled, rather than sharing the prevailing appreciation of its pace and wit. ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 1997. The critic calls it a gloriously cynical black comedy and wicked smart satire on politics and show business that confirms every awful thought about media manipulation. It singles out the sharp-edged farce with its hard-hitting lines and gleeful plot twists for praise. [Read the review](http://articles.latimes.com/1997/dec/24/entertainment/ca-1649) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 1998. The critic praises the film's prescient satire on spin-doctoring and media manipulation, noting its timely release amid real-world scandals and its sharp take on how politics and Hollywood intersect. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/cinema-wag-the-dog-puts-the-spin-in-a-real-tale-1150364.html) ## Variety — Godfrey Cheshire Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 1997. The review notes that glib cynicism gains appeal here through comic precision and polished handling, making for a concise and energetic satire that flatters viewers' knowingness. It singles out Dustin Hoffman's hilarious and fresh turn as the self-infatuated producer as the film's strongest asset. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/wag-the-dog-1117339896/) ## The New Yorker — Daphne Merkin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 December 1997. The review finds the film a timely but ultimately limited satire on spin and hype that may charm some while leaving others irritated by its calculated cleverness. It singles out Dustin Hoffman's performance as the standout element that helps carry the picture. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1998/01/05/spin-the-tale) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review finds the premise timely and the performances strong, especially from De Niro and Hoffman, but notes the satire lacks bite and feels only half-realised overall, though still entertaining. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wag-dog-review/) ## Time Out — NB Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic describes the plot involving a spin doctor and Hollywood producer fabricating a war to distract from a presidential scandal. They criticize the film as lazily assembled with soft skits and badly handled story leaps, seeing it as symptomatic of mainstream American cinema's decline. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/wag-the-dog) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Rating Critic's Pick. 26 December 1997. The critic praises the film as a swift, hilarious and scarily plausible political satire that makes it impossible to trust media gestures. It singles out the biting screenplay by David Mamet and Hilary Henkin and the direction by Barry Levinson for particular acclaim. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/26/movies/film-review-if-the-going-gets-tough-get-a-pet-or-start-a-war.html) ## The Times — Tom Shone 15 February 1998. The film benefits from strong topicality around a presidential sex scandal but stands on its own as a sharp political satire. It excels through quicksilver Mamet dialogue and Dustin Hoffman’s standout performance as the Hollywood producer. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/wag-the-dog-6dmzmrm9s69) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. The critic praises the sharp, knuckle-to-knuckle satire that sends up media hunger for stories and places cynicism back in government. Performances by Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro are singled out as exceeding expectations and carrying the fast-paced production. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/wag-the-dog-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/wag-the-dog.md