Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageIshtar (1987)
Director: Elaine May
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
So bad it could almost have been deliberate. The faults are many, but the casting of Hoffman and Beatty as a talentless and tacky cabaret duo is fatal: perverse logic makes Hoffman the smooth-talking womaniser and Beatty the bozo. The complex plot takes far too long to establish that they are to Simon and Garfunkel what McGonagall is to Burns before they are whisked off on a tour of the mythical Sahara republic of Ishtar, where they are lured into spying for opposing sides of a planned revolution, each tailing the other while trying to impress the same beautiful freedom fighter (Adjani). Of course the pair make worse spies than they do songwriters, and soon they're trekking into the desert with only a blind camel and CIA snipers for company. May's script is unfunny, and anything approximating a joke is wrung dry; but accept that you're watching one of the worst films ever made and you may find it hilarious.Author: EP
Cast & crew
Director: Elaine May
Producer: Warren Beatty
Cast: Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Adjani, Charles Grodin, Jack Weston, Tess Harper, Carol Kane, David Margulies full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Duration: 107 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Hippies who work for The Man
To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within
Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies
Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe
Grant Heslov: interview
Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Michael Jackson's This Is It: review
Kenny Ortega's posthumous concert film is a rousing eulogy for one of pop's great enigmas
Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace
From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'
Danish director Lone Scherfig was an unlikely choice for a very English affair like 'An Education'. Cath Clarke meets her
How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life
Time Out gets Romantic with the ‘difficult’ New Zealander about her new film, 'Bright Star'
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now