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MOVIE

Wag the Dog (1997)

Episode 325•Directed by Barry Levinson•1h 37m•Published Apr 7, 2026•Episode length 3h 44m
IanIan
LiamLiam
MeganMegan
KevinKevin
Episode 325 - Wag the Dog
ComedyDrama

Top cast

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Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Stanley Motss
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Conrad Brean
Anne Heche
Anne Heche
Winifred Ames
Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Sergeant William Schumann
Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Fad King
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Johnny Dean
Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Liz Butsky
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst
Tracy Lime
William H. Macy
William H. Macy
CIA Agent Charles Young
David Koechner
David Koechner
Director

Director

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Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Director
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Overview

During the final weeks of a presidential race, the President is accused of sexual misconduct. To distract the public until the election, the President's adviser hires a Hollywood producer to help him stage a fake war.

Show notes

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“This is nothing. This is nothing. Why does the dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail.” Join Ian & Liam for our 325th episode as we step into the spin rooms, sound stages, and manufactured realities of Barry Levinson’s razor-sharp political satire Wag the Dog (1997). Megs isn’t with us this week …

Read full show notes

“This is nothing. This is nothing. Why does the dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail.”

Join Ian & Liam for our 325th episode as we step into the spin rooms, sound stages, and manufactured realities of Barry Levinson’s razor-sharp political satire Wag the Dog (1997). Megs isn’t with us this week — she’s been hired to produce a last-minute war in Albania (tight turnaround, great exposure). Kev? He’s currently composing a patriotic anthem that may or may not exist by the time you hear this.

This week we discuss:

  • Dustin Hoffman’s Stanley Motss — flamboyant, obsessive, and desperate for credit. Is this one of the great comedic performances of the ’90s?
  • Robert De Niro’s Conrad Brean — calm, calculated, and morally untethered. Is he the real power in the film… or just the most efficient?
  • The central satire — media manipulation, political theatre, and the terrifying ease of creating “truth.”
  • We share many stories of what it means to guide an actor, when you should back off, and what do we do when we simply 'can't find the character' ourselves
  • Ian breaks down the film’s narrative precision — lean, fast, and ruthlessly efficient storytelling.
  • Liam explores the film’s relevance — does Wag the Dog feel prophetic, outdated, or uncomfortably current?
  • The machinery of deception — producers, actors, composers. Who actually “makes” reality in this world?
  • The escalation of the lie — how small fabrications spiral into full-scale belief.
  • The “show vs tell” balance — is the film too clever for its own good, or exactly as sharp as it needs to be?
  • Which character were we both all-out on?
  • What does it mean for something to be satirical and at what point does that present itself in the film?
  • Is it harder to get on board with the conceit of the film in 2026 compared to 1997 and why?
  • Ian shares everything he knows about Albania and where he learned it from
  • The ending — dark punchline, inevitable consequence, or the ultimate statement on power?
  • The moral centre (or lack of one) — does the film care about truth, or just the performance of it?
  • And finally, whether Wag the Dog is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most incisive political satires ever made.

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