| Front Cover |
Actor |
|
| Dustin Hoffman |
Stanley Motss
|
| Robert De Niro |
Conrad Brean
|
| Anne Heche |
Winifred Ames
|
| Woody Harrelson |
Sgt. William Schumann
|
| Denis Leary |
Fad King
|
| Willie Nelson |
Johnny Green
|
| Andrea Martin |
Liz Butsky
|
| Michael Belson |
President
|
| Suzanne Cryer |
Amy Cain
|
| John Michael Higgins |
John Levy
|
| Willie Nelson |
Johnny Dean
|
| Kirsten Dunst |
Tracy Lime
|
| William H. Macy |
CIA Agent Charles Young
|
| Suzie Plakson |
Grace
|
|
|
| Movie Details |
| Genre |
Comedy |
| Director |
Barry Levinson |
| Writer |
Larry Beinhart; Hilary Henkin |
|
| Language |
English |
| Audience Rating |
R |
| Running Time |
1 hr 37 mins |
| Country |
USA |
| Color |
Color |
|
| Plot |
| In a 29-day shoot, Barry Levinson filmed this $15 million political and media satire, adapted by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet from Larry Beinhart 's novel, American Hero . Two weeks prior to re-election, the President ( Michael Belson ) is accused of cornering a Girl Scout in the Oval Office. To keep the media from learning of this, Presidential adviser Winifred Ames ( Anne Heche ) brings in political consultant and spin doctor Conrad Brean ( Robert De Niro ), a specialist in such salvage operations. Brean suggests fabricating denials of non-existent emergencies — such as denials about the B-3 bomber. The denial, of course, is true, since no B-3 bomber exists. Brean visits the mansion of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss ( Dustin Hoffman ) and gives him the assignment to create a patriotic campaign centered around a war in Albania. Motss assembles a creative team — Liz Butsky ( Andrea Martin ), the trend-setter Fad King ( Denis Leary ), and songwriter Johnny Green ( Willie Nelson ). Treated like an ad campaign, the songs and symbols are transmitted directly from a Hollywood soundstage to CNN. The star of their campaign is a "rescued" pilot — in reality, a psychotic military prisoner ( Woody Harrelson ), who's a ticking time bomb. The flag-waving song, "The American Dream" was written for the film by Tom Bahler (who co-wrote "We Are the World"). Beinhart's original novel involved a real President (Bush), a real war (the Gulf War), and the premise that George Bush and Sadaam Hussein staged it. — Bhob Stewart |
| Personal Details |
| Seen It |
Yes |
| Index |
308 |
| In Collection |
Yes |
| Purchase Date |
8/4/2003 |
| Tape Label |
106 |
|
| Product Details |
| Format |
VHS |
| Region |
Region 1 |
| Release Date |
2003 |
| Nr of Disks/Tapes |
1 |
|
|