Arts | Movies / Critics' Picks

Critics' Picks: 'Wag the Dog'

A. O. Scott reviews Barry Levinson's 1997 film about a Washington fixer and a Hollywood producer who band together to create a politically expedient but entirely fictional war.

movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Wag the Dog'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Ran'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'The Maltese Falcon'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'The Bicycle Thief'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'The Commitments'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'City Lights'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Hoosiers'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: Ben Hur

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'The Deer Hunter'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Annie Hall'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'All the King's Men'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Midnight Cowboy'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Malcolm X'

Playing
carpetbagger

Carpetbagger: Mike Tyson at Sundance

Playing
carpetbagger

The Carpetbagger at Sundance

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Two-Lane Blacktop'

Playing
urbaneye

UrbanEye: Notorious in Brooklyn

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'All About Eve'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'The Apartment'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Holiday Inn'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'A Christmas Carol'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'It's a Wonderful Life'

Playing
t magazine

Screen Test: Katie Holmes

Playing
t magazine

Screen Test: Tom Cruise

Playing
t magazine

Screen Test: Rinko Kikuchi

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Life of Brian'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Babette's Feast'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'The Grapes of Wrath'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Patton'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'The Candidate'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: Night of the Living Dead

Playing
latest video

Critics' Picks: 'Sullivan's Travels'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Wall Street'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Citizen Ruth'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: Rambo

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critic's Picks: Do the Right Thing

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Hudsucker Proxy'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'His Girl Friday'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Les Biches'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Fast Times'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'State of the Union'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: Cheech and Chong

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Chariots of Fire'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: Abba on Screen

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: Below Ground

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Pixar's 4th Dimension

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: Hunter S. Thompson

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Brick Lane'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'The Love Guru'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'My Winnipeg'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'The Incredible Hulk'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Zohan'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Mongol'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Times Talks: Sarah Jessica Parker

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Savage Grace'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'The Edge of Heaven'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Sparring With Critics

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Prince Caspian'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Tracey Fragments'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Speed Racer'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Mister Lonely'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Iron Man'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Tribeca Film Festival '08

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Osama Bin Laden'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: The Forbidden Kingdom

Playing
movies / critics' picks

'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'The Visitor'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Smart People'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Jellyfish'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'My Blueberry Nights'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Only Child'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Stop-Loss'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Love Songs'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Irina Palm'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Horton'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Funny Games'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Snow Angels'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

'J'Entends Plus la Guitare'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Chop Shop'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'The Counterfeiters'

Playing
arts

The Carpetbagger

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Parents'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Definitely, Maybe'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Fool's Gold'

Playing
arts

The Carpetbagger

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Over Her Dead Body'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Caramel'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Lost in Beijing'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Rambo'

Playing
arts

The Carpetbagger at Sundance

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Summer Palace'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: Taxi to the Dark Side

Playing
arts

The Carpetbagger

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'First Sunday'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Persepolis'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'The Orphanage'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

The Carpetbagger

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: 'Sweeney Todd'

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Movie Minutes: Charlie Wilson's War

Playing
movies / critics' picks

A Talk With Bahman Ghobadi

Playing

the minimalist

Spaghetti With Broccoli Rabe

Playing
vows

Vows: Sheila & Hari

Playing
asia pacific

A Man's World

Playing
business

Weekend Without Bernie

Playing
americas

American Guns in Juárez

Playing
automobiles

2009 New York Auto Show

Playing
on par with bill pennington

I Dream of Annika

Playing
u.s.

This Land: Ohio Serenade

Playing
sightlines

The Animated Life: Welcome Back

Playing
asia pacific

Protests in Bangkok

Playing
david pogue

HD Radio: Status Report

Playing
embedded

Crash Test: Smart Fortwo

Playing
movies / critics' picks

Critics' Picks: 'Wag the Dog'

Playing
green inc.

Home Green Home: The Audit Report

Playing
politics

The Obama Campaign, Updated

Playing
bloggingheads

Bloggingheads: Do We Need Religion?

Playing

Play UrbanEye UrbanEye: 'Grey Gardens' Premiere	Play City Room Who Gives a (Battery-Powered) Hoot?	Play Americas Juárez: Amid Violence, a Haven	Play Sports Breaking Down Kobe
Play Americas Juárez: Children in the Crossfire	Play Asia Pacific A Man's World	Play U.S. This Land: Ohio Serenade	Play Americas American Guns in Juárez

Video

Arts | Movies / Critics' Picks

Critics' Picks: 'Wag the Dog'

Featured Videos