Ishtar (1987)

At the time of its release in 1987, this Elaine May production was bandied about as one of the worst films of the decade. It was nominated for three Razzie Awards that year--Worst Picture, Screenplay, Direction--but it still was not the nadir detractors claimed it to be. (Remember, that was the year Norman Mailer's self-indulgence spilled all over the screen in Tough Guys Don't Dance.) If this comedy had been made by unknowns, it would have simply faded into the obscurity it deserves. The fuss came about because May squandered much talent and a ridiculously large budget, rumored to exceed $40 million, returning less than half of that in ticket sales. Two artistically challenged lounge musicians (Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman) are jettisoned out of the States by their agent, who finds them a gig in Morocco. En route, they become pawns in an international power play between the CIA, the mythical emir of Ishtar, and upstarts hoping to overthrow the emir's regime. There are some humorous bits, such as when Hoffman and Beatty so badly perform their horrible ditties that audiences are left appalled. Most of the time however, we are the ones lulled into a near daze by a hokey script and boorish jokes about blind camels. If Abbott and Costello had made this flick, it might have worked. --Rochelle O'Gorman Amazon.com

Yes, it IS on DVD, but...

You can buy it for less than ten bucks (including postage) on Amazon.co.uk, and it comes with optional subtitles in: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish. The catch is you need a region-free DVD player. February 14, 2008

Who told you that? The Secretary of State?

I have seen this movie so many times that my VHS tape is falling apart. I desperately need a DVD of this wonderful film. When I saw this movie as a teenager, I knew it was a moment of greatness. The subsequent barrage of bad reviews taught me something valuable about the world: don't judge a movie by its reviews. This movie was right on time, yet it was also ahead of its time. Criticism that the first part of the movie is better than the second is well-taken; however, both parts are better than a lot of movies that have been box-office smashes. The trouble with "Ishtar" is that it respects its audience and invites critical thinking, but does so via the absurd. In the present era of literal, us-vs-them thinking, as in the Reagan era when the movie was made, there is a shocking lack of appreciation for the absurd. Ishtar's time has come again. January 16, 2008

Telling the Truth (about this movie) Can Be Dangerous Business

I don't care what anyone says about this movie---it is the best comedy ever created. Don't be a schmuck and miss out on it! September 26, 2007

A very funny film.

I agree with the people who say "yes" to this film. Very enjoyable, funny performances all around. September 24, 2007

Fantastic Movie!

PLEASE produce in DVD! This is one of the best comedies of all times! September 2, 2007

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