Ishtar (1987)

Ishtar is a 1987 American action comedy film written and directed by Elaine May and produced by Warren Beatty, who co-starred with Dustin Hoffman. The story revolves around a duo of incredibly untalented American lounge singers who travel to a booking in Morocco and stumble into a four-party Cold War standoff.

Shot on location in Morocco and New York City by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, the production drew media attention before its release for substantial cost overruns on top of a lavish budget, and reports of clashes between director, producer, and cinematographer. A change in studio management at Columbia Pictures during post-production also led to professional and personal difficulties that undermined the film's release.

The film polarized critics and became a notorious failure at the box office. It was originally released on DVD only in Europe. It was released in Blu-ray Disc format in North America on August 6, 2013.

Synopsis

Chuck Clarke (Hoffman) and Lyle Rogers (Beatty) are inept songwriters who are down on their luck, but dream of becoming a popular singing duo in the mold of Simon and Garfunkel. Though they are poorly received at a local open mic night, agent Marty Freed (Weston) offers to book them as lounge singers in a hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco, explaining that the last act quit due to political unrest in the area. Nearly broke, both single and without any better options, Lyle and Chuck decide to take the gig.

Actors