Wag the Dog
New Line Cinema | Release Date: December 25, 1997 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireBob McCabe
Written in part by David Mamet, Wag The Dog is a lovely idea, with credibility buoyed by its incredible timeliness. But, content with its initial premise, the movie lacks the necessary bite to develop the satire further, to the point where it's difficult to spot whether Washington or Hollywood is the target. Read full review
60
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Wag the Dog is such a crisply delivered political satire, so packed full of wickedly amusing details and expertly modulated performances and with its heart so obviously in the right place that I really, truly wish I could tell you it was also a good movie. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineSandra Contreras
But anyone who would be inherently interested in this kind of sendup is unlikely to be surprised by anything in this film -- overall it feels like a trifle, if an entertaining one. Read full review
50
Washington PostStephen Hunter
So insidey it's almost parochial. Read full review
50
Film ThreatTom Meek
Hoffman's electric performance carries the film beyond its banal pretext and Dennis Leary and Woody Harrelson are a scream in cameos. Read full review
40
Washington PostDesson Thomson
A blithely unfunny, low-budget comedy from director Barry Levinson. Read full review
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