Cheating (film)

The US presidential election is coming soon, and the president is accused of sexual harassment. Opinion polls show that the president’s popularity is rapidly declining. The team of the head of state needs to urgently act in order to divert public attention from the adultery in the White House . You only need to win a few days, and Presidential Advisor Conrad Brin ( Robert De Niro ) decides to seek the help of a professional - film producer Stanley Motss ( Dustin Hoffman ).

The threat of a certain Albanian terrorist group (which does not exist in reality) is quickly invented and, thus, the necessity of involving the USA in the war is justified. Motssu is explained by the general features of how an ordinary American citizen should have an idea of ​​events, and then he plays everything as if by notes: staged patriotic military videos, pseudo-interviews and even songs about soldiers of a fictional war are shot; to counter the terrorist threat of the Albanian government, the American president pulls together an aircraft carrier group ; imitation of the casting of American saboteurs into Albania, one of which is allegedly captured.

The CIA is trying to clarify the situation, because it has no idea about any terrorists. Conrad Brin tells the CIA agent the following:

In the end, the organizers of the scam succeed, the war is over, the war hero is buried with honors. However, Stanley Motss does not want to remain in the shadows: he does not need money, he wants fame; Brin has no choice but to order the removal of the latter. Motss's death from a massive heart attack is reported. The recognition to which he strove all his life, he receives posthumously. This is followed by a special news release, which states the very likely continuation of the operation in Albania.

The film uses many songs created for the fictitious campaign led by the protagonists, for example, “Good Old Shoe” (written specifically for the film by Edgar Winter), “The American Dream” and “The Men of the 303”, but these are just basic examples . None of these pieces were added to the soundtrack, released on CD: it contained only the title track of British guitarist and vocalist Mark Knopfler and seven instrumental compositions in his own performance.

Rewards

• 1997 - National Actor from the United States Film Critics Award to Best Supporting Actress (Anne Heche)
• 1998 - Silver Bear Prize (special jury prize) of the Berlin Film Festival (Barry Levinson)

Nominations

• 1998 - Nomination for the Golden Bear Prize of the Berlin Film Festival (Barry Levinson)
• 1998 - two nominations for the Academy Award : best actor (Dustin Hoffman), best adapted script (Hilary Henkin, David Mamet)
• 1998 - three nominations for the Golden Globe Award: best film - comedy or musical, best male role - comedy or musical (Dustin Hoffman), best screenplay (Hilary Henkin, David Mamet)
• 1998 - Nomination for the US Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman)
• 1998 - Nominated for the US Scriptwriters Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Hilary Henkin, David Mamet)
• 1999 - British Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay (Hilary Henkin, David Mamet)

• “To wag the dog” ( English “To wag the dog” ) is an idiom : deliberately distracting attention from a more important issue to a less significant one. Thus, a less significant event falls into the spotlight, drowning out the initially more significant event ^{[2] [3]} .
• The role of Winifred Ames was originally written for a man ^[4] .
• In the funeral scene in a military orchestra, members of the orchestra of Riverside City College RCC Marching Tigers took part ^[4] .
• In the initial scene at the cameo film studio, you can see the back of director Barry Levinson ^[4] .
• The name of the drug Schumann, "Prosalium", is taken from a combination of the names of the drugs " Prozac " and " Valium " ^[4] .
• Dustin Hoffman took as his basis for his character Stanley Motss Hollywood producer Robert Evans ^[4] .
• Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman were shot without an advance - Hoffman and Levinson made this film while resting from the production of The Sphere ^[4] .
• The film shows an interview with James Belushi , claiming that he is an Albanian . Belushi is indeed the son of immigrants from Albania .
• Ralph Tabakin , Who starred in the film as a Southerner, appears in all Levinson’s films, starting with Canteen and ending with Heights of Freedom ^[4] .
• The phrase "Why change horses at the crossing?" ( Eng. Why change horses midstream? ) Was the slogan of the presidential campaign of Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War in the USA ^[4] and Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Second World War ^[5] .
• Conrad’s phrase “ A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow ” is a quote from WWII General George Smith Patton ^[4] .
• Clinton's sexual scandal - Lewinsky flared up just during the filming of the film, and during the appeal “On the Situation of the Country”, Bill Clinton threatened Iraq with military operations ^[4] .
• A scene in which tied shoes hang on telephone and electrical wires was shot on East Capitol Street , a few blocks from the Capitol . The film crew forgot to pick up a few pairs of shoes, and they continued to hang for a few more years ^[4] .
• The talk show phone number - (800) 555-0199 - is found in many films and television programs due to the fact that this is the only number starting with the numbers “(800) 555” reserved by telephone companies as a valid “fake” for such ^{[4] the} needs of show business.
• During the filming of the film, Hoffman, De Niro and Levinson had an impromptu meeting with the then US President Bill Clinton. “So what is this movie about?” Clinton De Niro asked. De Niro looked at Levinson, hoping for his answer. Levinson, in turn, looked at Hoffman. Hofmann, who knew that there was no one else to blame responsibility for, later recalled: “Well, I just started to invent something on the go. I don’t even remember what I said "( Eng. So I just started to tap dance. I can't even remember what I said. ) ^[4] .
• In the computer game The Sims Medieval there is a link to this film - in the “Cheating” task, the king needs to divert attention from his advisor’s novel with an overseas princess, and he can choose between a fake epidemic and a fake war.
• The non-existent strategic B-3 bomber, about which the president of the United States allegedly made a trip to China in the film, is actually being developed.

• Canadian Bacon (1995)
• “ Candidate ” (2001)

• Official movie website
• "Cheating" on the Internet Movie Database           
• Cheating (English) on allmovie  
• “Cheating” - review on the Ekranka.ru website