Movies Like Wag the Dog

If you liked Wag the Dog (1997), a comedy and drama movie directed by Barry Levinson, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Primary Colors (1998)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and comedy
In this adaptation of the best-selling roman à clef about Bill Clinton's 1992 run for the White House, the young and gifted Henry Burton is tapped to oversee the presidential campaign of Governor Jack Stanton. Burton…
2
Truth (2015)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
As a renowned producer and close associate of Dan Rather, Mary Mapes believes she’s broken the biggest story of the 2004 election: revelations of a sitting U.S. President’s military service. But when allegations come…
3
Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy and drama
A Texas congressman sets a series of events in motion when he conspires with a CIA operative to aid Afghan mujahideen rebels fighting the Soviets.
4
Fair Game (2010)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
A devoted wife and mother leads a secret life as a CIA agent until her husband’s article exposes a scandal, putting her identity and loved ones at risk. As her world crumbles, she must navigate the fallout of her…
5
Power (1986)
★ 5.8/10Also drama
Pete St. John is a powerful and successful political consultant, with clients spread around the country. When his long-time friend and client Ohio senator Sam Hastings decides to quit politics, he is rapidly drafted to…
6
Official Secrets (2019)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
The true story of British intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun who—prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion—leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security…
7
The Fifth Estate (2013)
★ 6/10Also drama
A look at the relationship between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his early supporter and eventual colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg, and how the website's growth and influence led to an irreparable rift between…
8
The Sum of All Fears (2002)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot recruits a…
9
Undercover Brother (2002)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy
An Afro-American organization, the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., is in permanent fight against a white organization "The Man" defending the values of the black people in North America. When the Afro-American candidate Gen…
10
W. (2008)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
The story of the eventful life of George W. Bush—his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith—and the critical days leading up to his decision to invade Iraq.
11
JFK (1991)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.
12
The House on Carroll Street (1988)
★ 5.9/10Also drama
A reporter, fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee, takes a part-time job as companion to an old lady. While working she overhears a noisy argument in the neighboring house…
13
All the President's Men (1976)
★ 7.7/10Also drama
During the 1972 elections, two reporters' investigation sheds light on the controversial Watergate scandal that compels President Nixon to resign from his post.
14
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy
Bumbling lieutenant Frank Drebin is out to foil the big boys in the energy industry, who intend to suppress technology that will put them out of business.
15
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
★ 8.1/10Also comedy
After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop it.
16
Dave (1993)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy
A sweet-natured Temp Agency operator and amateur Presidential look-alike is recruited by the Secret Service to become a temporary stand-in for the President of the United States.
17
Code 3 (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy and drama
A burned-out paramedic tries to survive his last 24 hours on the job while training a new recruit.
18
The Social Reckoning (2026)
★ 7/10Also drama
Frances Haugen, a young Facebook engineer, enlists the help of Jeff Horwitz, a Wall Street Journal reporter, to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on the social network's most guarded secrets.
19
Snowden (2016)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press.
20
Hooking Up (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy and drama
Bailey and Darla embark upon a misguided and mutually deceitful form of therapy, one in which they must drive across the country, re-enacting Darla's colorful history as a sex addict. As their true motivations for the…