One of the most celebrated box-office bombs in movie history, Elaine May's 40 million dollar epic comedy about two talentless singers, is not as dreadful as advertised, but no one who has seen it will soon feel the urge for multiple viewings. When two terrible singers (Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman) find they have trouble getting work in America, they consider a generous offer from overseas. It would be interesting to know why a verbal comic like May, who had never made a visually oriented comedy on this scale, would insist on directing something better suited to the talents of John Landis or Ivan Reitman. There are a few funny lines in the script, but they are as isolated as the two singers adrift in the desert. The best moments are the performance of Charles Grodin as a CIA operative, and the lyrics of the pairs' songs: "If you admit that you can play the accordion, no one will hire you in a rock & roll band."
Ishtar (1987)
Directed by Elaine May
Genres - Comedy, Action, Adventure |
Sub-Genres - Adventure Comedy, Buddy Film |
Release Date - May 15, 1987 (USA) |
Run Time - 107 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - PG13
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