"The intersection of entertainment and politics will always fascinate me," Levinson's statement begins. "Wag the Dog was not just an exploration of what happens when Washington exploits Hollywood's talent for selling fantasies, but ultimately its Machiavellian code of conduct in the area of messaging and public relations. Communication -- the ability to connect and manipulate --is perhaps the most interesting part of politics we can observe."

The film was screened at the Tribeca and Maryland film festivals, so the Showtime airing would be a TV premiere only.

The reviews have been mixed.

Here's Caryn James at The Daily Beast:

We could really use a smart film that explores the nature and future of political celebrity in our all-access media age. PoliWood isn’t quite that movie. It suggests that presidential candidates have to be as telegenic as Obama today, but the problem is more complicated—it’s not as if rock-star charisma is easy to find. And Caroline Kennedy, a political celebrity if anyone is, hasn’t been able to parlay her inherited fame into public office—is that about the limit of fame or just about her?

PoliWood is a great place to start that kind of conversation. Levinson may not always see the bright side, but that makes his voice just right for this next stage of the Obama years—reminding us that realism can be tough medicine.

Here's Frank Scheck in The Hollywood Reporter:

This film is described in the opening credits as a "Barry Levinson Film Essay," and like so many literary essays, "Poliwood" has a tendency to ramble even while offering many interesting ideas. ...

Ultimately, for all its good intentions, "Poliwood" is too unfocused and self-involved to have much impact, with most of its central figures proving less than scintillating in their commentary (Daly, Burstyn and Sarandon are notable exceptions). It says something when the most reasonable figure onscreen turns out to be Tucker Carlson.