Wag the Dog (DVD)

Wag the Dog (1997) starring Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche. Based on a book that claimed the Persian Gulf War had been faked, this movie makes a surprisingly relevant statement about the relationship between the media, the government and the truth. When the president is accused of sexual misconduct by a teenage girl, spin doctors De Niro and Hoffman are called in to figure out a way to distract the public. Their solution: a phony war with Albania, complete with war footage, a stirring theme song, and a returning hero. Plus, a terrorist plot about a nuclear device that's being smuggled into the U.S. from Canada. It's all fictional, but it's all too familiar. Grade: B