Not On DVD: Ishtar

ISHTAR (1987)
starring: Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, Isabelle Adjani, Charles Grodin
dir. Elaine May


Ishtar is a very cultish yet much maligned movie from a group of very talented people who were not very thrifty with a checkbook. Much like Heaven's Gate (1980) (but for very different reasons), the budget ran out of control, dooming this movie to be reviewed on a monetary basis, not a cinematic one. Did they spend a lot of money to make this movie? Yes. Was every penny up on screen? No. Is it still an enjoyable and funny movie with lively characters, songs so bad they are sublime and a quick flash of Issabella Adjani's breasts? Damn tootin' right it is!

Hoffman and Beatty play Chuck and Lyle, a couple of not to bright and not at all talented singer/songwriters. They have singing voices that make your skin crawl, but a drive and ambition that you have to admire. Two guys in a ton of denial that lead to both of their girlfriends leaving them and nothing left to pursue but the dream of stardom. So off they go to Ishtar, a fictional middle eastern country where they will perform such classics as, "Hot Fudge Love" and "Telling The Truth" to middle aged tourists in a hotel bar. They accidentally get mixed up in a crazy political plot that centers around the smoking hot Isabella Adjani and the CIA, led by the always offbeat and very funny Charles Grodin.

Due to problems with shooting in the desert, the initial movies budget ballooned to around 30 million dollars. This was quite a sum for a rather small comedy in 1987. This generated all sorts of bad press and pretty much soiled it's reputation before it was even released. The critics tore it a new one and the movie laid a box office egg. It was nominated for wost picture by the Razzies. It lost to Leonard Part 6 (1987), which is no shock if you've seen it. The movie quickly disappeared and resurfaced in the dark recesses of video shelves back when VHS ruled the roost.

Written and directed by Elaine May, this is a movie that feels and acts more like a film of the 70's then the 80's, and I mean that as a very high compliment. The humor is very character based and Hoffman and Beatty hit it out of the park as two guys who are clueless in a very modern way. They are genuinely oblivious to everything around them and totally delusional about their skills as performers.

The songs are a blast and were written by the diminutive Paul Williams and are just as hysterical as the performances. They are sung with a gusto and conviction that make you smile because they are just horrifically bad. A soundtrack was originally going to be released, but was canceled after the initial reaction to the film. Too bad, I'd buy a copy and play it full blast every time some dipshit rolls up next to me at a stoplight with his base thumping.


This is not a perfect film in any way. The second half is not as strong as the first and the laughs seem to diminish towards the end, with the exception of Grodin denying the CIA has any goings-on in Ishtar. His childlike deadpan makes me giggle thinking about it.

According to Wikipedia (oh-so trustworthy), Gary Larson even had something to say about the film:

In The Far Side comic strips, captioned "Hell's Video Store", the entire store is stocked with nothing but copies of the movie Ishtar. Larson has apologized, saying 'When I drew the above cartoon, I had not actually seen Ishtar. ... Years later, I saw it on an airplane, and was stunned at what was happening to me: I was actually being entertained. Sure, maybe it's not the greatest film ever made, but my cartoon was way off the mark. There are so many cartoons for which I should probably write an apology, but this is the only one which compels me to do so."

With no plans to be released in America on DVD (yet Howard The Duck is coming out?), Ishtar is a movie that needs to be seen by more people and deserves a proper release. If they could get May, Williams, Hoffman and Beatty together to do a commentary track, I'd be in heaven. Oh and a second disc with the soundtrack! I'll settle for a bear bones edition though just to have a chance to revisit an overlooked comedy that is a real missing gem from the DVD catalog.

Ishtar is available as a region 2 DVD for those of you out there who really want to see it.

You can also learn more and hear samples of the songs at ishtarthemovie.com