Writer David Mamet – with Barry Levinson directing – switches his focus from the small cons of “House of Games” and the like to the global con of “Wag the Dog” (1997), a delightful and sometimes hilariously absurd examination of the cover-up of a presidential scandal. It’s also harrowing enough now and then to be more than a straight-up comedy. Savvy followers of the news cycle know the adage: If a huge story breaks, look at what the previous big story was and ask if the new one has been manufactured as a distraction.
The fixer is in
In the case of “Wag the Dog,” the US president is accused of an Oval Office back-room rape by a Firefly Girl. He’s up for re-election in mere weeks. So expert fixer Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) is brought in, and his strategy is to create a war. In real life, presidents have ramped up military actions to distract from personal scandals, so it’s kind of refreshing that Brean intends to create a fake war – not an actual one — with “Albanian terrorists,” for which he recruits Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman).
It also puts “Wag the Dog” so firmly in the realm of the absurd that this can’t be one of those tight con movies where we look back and marvel that Mamet left no plot holes; after all, this is a con on the global population. Wisely, the film isn’t aiming for an airtight con. For one thing, Brean only needs it to hold up through the election. For another, this is a highly absurdist brand of satire – the more ridiculous it gets, the more entertaining it gets.
“Wag the Dog” (1997)
Director: Barry Levinson
Writers: Larry Beinhart, Hilary Henkin, David Mamet
Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche
My favorite sequence is when Stanley and his crew film an “Albanian refugee,” played by aspiring actress Tracy Lime (Kirsten Dunst), fleeing from the bombings. It’s created entirely on a soundstage and with post-production that can be done on the spot. Since this isn’t how the process really works, it makes it funnier.
Tracy is given a bag of Tostitos chips to hug as she’s fleeing, since no one can agree on the type of cat she should be holding. In that on-site post-production room, the engineer scrolls through a selection of cats and selects a white calico – as per the president’s suggestion, much to Stanley’s annoyance about creative interference. With a press of a button, the cat appears in place of the chips.
The absurdity ramps up from there, with country legend Johnny Dean (Willie Nelson) brought in to write a song about the tragedy of the Albanian conflict; a “We Are the World”-type chorus then records it. Brean’s plan doesn’t always go smoothly, though, as Mamet wisely gives a nod to the likelihood of this scam being found out.
More gambits
After some missteps, the group’s next big gambit involves a “war hero,” to be played by an insane convict (Woody Harrelson), and this leads to another funny set piece, as the faux Sgt. William Schumann proves difficult to wrangle.
It’s true that “Wag the Dog” doesn’t hold up when one asks “Could this happen in the real world?” That makes it different from most Mamet con films. However, this film is meant to be examined in a less literal fashion.
While it’s likely that the towers of power in the US aren’t entirely filled with corrupt people, “Wag the Dog” forces us to examine what can be pulled off if enough key positions are filled by people in on the game – not just office-holders and their handlers, but also those we entrust as watchdogs.
In a chilling moment early in the film, we see the news cycle shifts from the Firefly Girl to the “war in Albania” not because the White House changes the narrative, but because the press corps does. The final kicker is again chilling, as we learn that this fake war’s consequences could go beyond which of two politicians lives in the White House.
As funny as “Wag the Dog” is, it also reminds us of the frightening truth that consuming the news doesn’t by itself make is informed citizens. Digging deeper, we may not find the insanity of “Wag the Dog,” but we will often find disturbing hidden layers.