Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Eric Stevenson
I found out that both Siskel and Ebert voted this as the worst movie of 1987. It was on a list of movies considered the worst ever. I have in fact seen worse, but this is still quite bad. This movie features two bad singers who go to Morocco to try to become successful. What really sinks this movie is how dull it is. It just shows these two going around everywhere and nothing happening. Everything just seems so pointless. There's this one woman who is actually treated pretty badly in this movie. The subplot with her and the pointless romance is never even resolved! I had a hard time even believing that this was supposed to be a comedy. The jokes were so dull and lifeless. Dustin Hoffman's a good actor, but this isn't his best work. *1/2
FlashCallahan
Lyle Rogers, a dimwitted songwriter befriends and partners with Chuck Clarke, who is only slightly more intelligent but every bit as untalented. Together the duo dreams of becoming a big-time lounge act, but their songs, with titles like "That a Lawnmower Can Do All That," are unintentionally hilarious. Chuck becomes suicidal, but just when it seems they'll never strike it rich, the boys are offered a shady gig at a North African hotel, entertaining U.S. troops stationed in the tiny nation of Ishtar. On their way to accept the job, Lyle, Chuck, and their blind camel are sidetracked by a mysterious woman, and a scheming CIA agent, who are involved in a rebellion against the country's emir.....With it being one of the most notorious turkeys of all time, and almost ruining a few careers, Ishtar is one of those film you just have to watch, no matter how many bad reviews there are, you watch it so you've experienced it, not for story or narrative.Story wise, it's pretty sound, two wannabe crooners get caught up in a middle eastern conflict, it should have harked back to the old Crosby and Hope movies, but there's something really, really wrong about the whole film.The switching of the Beatty and Hoffman personalities just doesn't work, especially seeing Beatty as a shy loner. Absolutely not. And when you can't familiarise with the two main characters, you begin to lose interest in the rest of the film, and this is only after ten minutes.Once in the titular place, it becomes too incoherent, so many characters with different goals can make and interesting movie, but make the script a little fresh.I admittedly laughed once during the film, and it wasn't to do with the blond camel, it was the compère announcing the act when Beatty was on his own.But all in all, it does deserve its notoriety, it makes no sense, it's too dark to be a caper, and too boring to be an action adventure.Next time Warren, don't do anybody any favours.
oscar-35
*Spoiler/plot- 1987, Hoffman and Beatty are untalented songwriters and singers on their last dollar that get the US government to ship them to a Northern African country were they get involved with CIA and questionable comedy.*Special Stars- Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, Charles Grodin, Carol Kane, Jack Weston- Dir: Elaine May *Theme- Volunteers working for the US government is always a bad idea.*Based on- Hope and Crosby 'road' films *Trivia/location/goofs-Not interesting enough to matter *Emotion- Not as bad as widely reported. But, a somewhat forgettable satire of the 'Hope and Crosby' road films. The film's producers try a chance with real life pals, Hoffman and Beatty. A blind camel and flock of vultures are funnier that the male leads here. The boring cliché spy intrigues get worse and worse with musical accompaniment.
