Synopsis
Days before a presidential election, a sex scandal threatens the White House. Political consultant Conrad Brean recruits Hollywood producer Stanley Motss to create a fake war in Albania, complete with staged footage, patriotic songs, manufactured heroes, and media-friendly images. As the campaign grows more elaborate, the conspirators discover that a convincing story can become more powerful than the truth it was designed to conceal.
Factoids & Trivia
- The screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet was loosely adapted from Larry Beinhart's novel American Hero.
- The film was released on December 25, 1997, shortly before the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal became public. Later U.S. military actions during the scandal prompted widespread comparisons with the film and helped turn "wag the dog" into a popular political expression.
- Principal photography was completed in only 29 days. The closing credits include a special acknowledgment of the cast and crew for finishing the shoot so quickly.
- The production had an estimated $15 million budget and earned approximately $64.3 million worldwide.
- The film received two Academy Award nominations for the 1997 movie year: Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.
- The title refers to the expression "the tail wagging the dog," describing a minor issue controlling or distracting from a much larger one.
- A line about changing horses midstream echoes a campaign slogan associated with Abraham Lincoln's 1864 reelection campaign.
- The quotation "A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow" is attributed in the film to World War II General George S. Patton.
- The sarcastic use of "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" during a television attack advertisement heightens the film's contrast between polished entertainment and disturbing political manipulation.
- The movie's fictional war campaign deliberately uses the language, visual grammar, and emotional shortcuts of Hollywood publicity, making the act of manufacturing news resemble the production of a commercial film.