Ishtar: the movie everybody loves!

[lissener]

Below are extracts from each of the comments at IMDb. In the interest of showing you the ratio of good to bad comments, all of them are represented.

Is it time for this movie to be OFFICIALLY reconsidered, so Elaine May, who should be a major figure in American cinema, can get her career back?

I wonder how many of the people who voted on this movie actually saw it. If they did many of them would have liked it.

The first twenty minutes or so of ISHTAR was a pleasant surprise.

Ishtar is really a pretty funny movie. . . . The humor tends to be more subtle and dry than most comedies and to be honest, I think the comedy may be so subtle that it simply goes over the head of most people.

I can’t understand why this movie was reviewed so badly. This is one movie that I watch over and over and still crack up laughing.

I saw Ishtar in the theater when it first came out, and I had never heard an audience laugh so hard before. Everyone there (I recall the theater was pretty much packed) loved it. When it came out on video I was working in a small video store. The negative reviews had been out for some time, and everyone decided it was a lame movie without even seeing it. But every time I played this movie in the store, someone would ALWAYS end up asking me to take it out of the VCR so they could rent it. And as far as I remember, no one who rented it ever said they hated it! I’m glad to see so many positive comments posted here. It really is a very clever and funny movie, and I would recommend it to anyone. I still suggest it to people who are looking for a fun movie. This definitely is one of the most underrated movies I’ve seen. Go ahead and watch it!

The legendary disaster that brought down Hollywood and ended a great directorial career is nothing but amusing.

I personally do not understand how anyone cannot like this movie.

Ishtar was a hilarious comedy, but doomed to failure by the time period in which it was released. . . . Everyone commenting on its being the “worst movie of the decade” meant even those who would have the capacity to understand it, even today, start out with an initial prejudice. Just watch Ishtar as a subversive anti-hero comedy, and you’ll understand its genius

Ishtar is a great movie…not just for the humor, and catchy tunes, and great acting, but because of the excellent insight into life in a third world country. Perhaps to those who have not had the opportunity to experience life in a third world country, this movie makes no sense. But, the things that happened in the movie that related to the culture and people REALLY DO OCCUR. As someone who has lived overseas all my life, this movie was hilarious, because it captured the ironic tendencies of life in Africa. Ishtar is a funny, enjoyable movie for a rainy afternoon. Don’t take it so seriously…anyone who thinks Ishtar is an action movie, a thriller, or a musical (the point of it all is that the main characters cannot write music…the songs are supposed to be lame!) is off the mark. Ishtar is pure comedy…stupid comedy, but funny none the less.

** This has to be about the worst movie I’ve ever seen, with no redeeming qualities to it at all. **

** Ishtar is argugably the worst comedy the 1980’s every produced. . . . Warren Beaty and Dustin Hoffman are better skilled at drama than comedy. . . Finally the singing. **

Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty are hilarious. There is slapstick humor, which I personally like. When the duo is singling in that club to impress their potential agent, Jack Weston, I thought I’d hurt myself for laughing so hard.

Ishtar is so hilarious! And it is still great after repeated viewings. . . . It makes me think Elaine May is a genius.

Are you kidding me? This movie is hilarious. Those of you that rated it poorly need to stop taking yourselves so seriously. Just admit that you don’t understand the humor and move on.

Hearing all the jokes and bad mouthing about this film, I decided to check it out. I rented the movie, expecting to eject it in half an hour. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My personal opinion of this movie is that those that did not like it say they did not like it because they didn’t understand it

** Honestly, I think that better films have come out of every “B” movie studio in existence. **

** Only about two minutes out of this so-called comedy is funny. **

Sorry I waited so long to see this; neither steller nor loser, though has aged much better than most films of that decade.

** There were some very funny parts, but they were few a far between. **

[Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker]

I think a lot of why this movie was so “Woodishly” panned was the incredible expense. I’ve watched it a number of times, and while I thought it was kinda dumb, I never thought it was that bad–and I know I’ve seen worse movies that didn’t attract nearly the ridicule. But, again, it was one expensive MF. Don’t know why, unless it was the salaries. A lot was set in the sand, so there shouldn’t have been much of an expense for sets.

I’d also like to watch “Heaven’s Gate” sometime. Wonder if the “badness” is more of a reflection on the cost and return.

[RealityChuck]

I think I added one of those reviews.

Yes, Ishtar deserves reconsideration; I’ve commented on that many times here on the SDMB. (There was a very good critical article about the film somewhere on the Internet, but I can’t seem to find it right now; the gist was that the first twenty minutes were brilliant, the next hour or so somewhat dull, and the final part back to very funny). It’s not a great film (though there are some great moments), but does not deserve the critical reception it got.

I liked the film when it first came out. The big problem of Ishtar was the price tag; it was very expensive (for its time), went on the shelf for editing and reediting, and didn’t really show where the money went. Most reviewers looked at the price tag, and not the film (there were some exceptions – Newsday on Long Island gave it a good review).

Most of the people on the SFRT bulletin board on GEnie at the time also thought it was pretty good.

Hoffman and Beatty were just fine portraying dimwitted losers. The scene where they meet and think each one’s absolutely awful songs are great music is just plain hilarious. (There’s a great moment where Beatty comes up with one incredibly trite and stupid lyric and Hoffman says, “When you’re hot, you’re hot.”)

The arms auction scene is just plain classic comedy. And the songs (by Paul Williams) are hilarious examples of third-rate songwriting. We’re always quoting from “Dangerous Business” and cracking up. And the scene of Hoffman singing “I’m Sending You Some Love in my Will” – and having no clue as to how inappropriate the song is – is delightful.

There are certainly problems with the film. But there are too many places where you find yourself laughing to make it a failure.

[Wumpus]

lissner, you didn’t bother to mention the overall IMDB rating, which is a less-than-stellar 3.7. The similar-but-dumber Spies Like Us from two years earlier manages a 5.6.

It’s not a terrible movie, mind you, just a thoroughly mediocre one. But face it, “it’s not as bad as they say” isn’t enough to save its reputation at this point.

My biggest objection was that I got the distinct impression from Beatty and Hoffman that they were slumming in their parts. “Look at us,” they seemed to be saying, “Great Actors pretending to be idiots! Isn’t it hilarious?” Which is the kiss of death for comedy.

The songs are funny, though.