Film Pitch: Ishtar

Film Pitch

Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman play tone deaf lounge singers. Yes Tootsie & Clyde Barrow. It's written and directed by Elaine May, half of the famous Nichols & May double act and directer of classic rom com The Heartbreak Kid.

So these two lounge singers, despite their lack of talent or support, decide to take a make it or break it gig in a fictional middle eastern country in the middle of a civil war where they naturally find themselves embroiled in the political conflict and are played by both sides like CIA agent Charles Grodin and French beauty Isabelle Adjani, who plays some sort of Arabian freedom fighter who dresses as a boy for most of the film. Flawless casting, I know.

Hijinks are had, feelings are felt and we all leave the cinema with our wallets full because who wouldn't want to see such a star-studded box office treat.



Critics Say

It was ripped to shreds. It lost money, damaged careers and has been a synonym in Hollywood for terrible films which are also box office bombs.

The Los Angeles Times called it one of the most expensive box office flops of all time and it was nominated for three Golden Raspberry awards.

The film has a 4.4/10 rating on IMDB and 38% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Roger Ebert described the film; 'Ishtar is a truly dreadful film, a lifeless, massive fumbling exercise in failed comedy.'

So I guess it was the worst film ever.


Me Say

Ishtar is a solidly OK film. It isn't a great film which will be stored in vaults and lauded for centuries to come but it also isn't a terrible film which deserve the lambasting and mockery that it's received.

Beatty & Hoffman are good in their roles even if Beatty is very out of his 'Hollywood' persona. They both are convincingly terrible as lounge singers and they work flawless with the often deadpan comedy of the film.

Yes the plot is dodgy and I have no idea why the project was green-light but it isn't a bad film, I'd go so far as to call it a good one. It's a film which has sat covered in insults for thirty years and deserves a critical reassessment. It has all the necessary elements; a semi-acclaimed director, famous fans (Like Tarantino or Edgar Wright) and it has the star-power of Beatty and Hoffman who although obviously less powerful than in the 80s are still distinctly recognisable and attractive names.

Should you go out of your way to watch Ishtar? Probably not. However if it's a choice between Ishtar and any of Hoffman or Beatty's efforts in the past two decades I'll choose Ishtar.




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