U.S.A-1997 Directors: Barry Levinson , Stars: Robert De Niro • Dustin Hoffman The movie begins with a serious dilemma facing an incumbent President facing re-election; a young girl is accusing him of sexual misconduct. He needs to find a way to not only distract the public, but to strengthen his standing in the polls. The solution comes when Conrad Brean (played by Robert DeNiro) suggests creating a war. He hires Stanley Motts (Dustin Hoffman to produce the war, and from there on the movie is a funny series of spinning mishaps and marketing a war to the American public. Anne Heche also stars as Winifred Ames, a woman on the White House staff who just wants to save her job. This movie works on a couple of levels. It is a decent comedy for those who just like things that are funny - but it isn`t gut-bustingly funny. For the avid political watcher - or even a person interested in American culture - this movie actually has something to say. The idea that ”we saw it on television, so therefore it happened” hits a little too close to home, and actually is anything but funny. The marketing of the ”war with Albania” in this movie is reminiscent of the t-shirts and board games that were available during Operation Desert Storm (note: the Gulf War`s official name even sounded like an exciting adventure game). This movie came out in 1997, the year before Monica Lewinsky registered on the country`s ”media scale,” but even so, I think writers Larry Beinhart and Hilary Henkin get their digs in at President Clinton - they just didn`t know how close to home they were going to be! The President in the film is a nebulous figure, only shown from the back, so unlike Primary Colors, Clinton is not the only target. A favorite moments during the movie are when - in the midst of deceiving the entire American public - Heche`s character frets about whether the people they are hiring are illegal immigrants While not quite hilarious, this movie does have man funny moments, and it makes some excellent points. Political candidates do try to ”wag the dog” and use the media to their advantage. The acting in Wag the Dog is perfectly on the mark as well; Hoffman in particular is a stand-out as the ”producer” of the war.