Ishtar has a remarkably bad reputation, and when I started off watching this, I had no idea what to expect. When someone describes The Room as bad, they normally focus on the bizarre acting, the awkward script, the continuity, etc. But no one ever says anything specific about Ishtar; it just became a punchline.
Ishtar is a good movie. It’s funny, but I think it was ahead of its time. I think it was actually a pretty influential movie. It’s a buddy comedy with two characters that are simultaneously miserable, deluded, and occasionally dumb. They fall into a story that is beyond their understanding. Their performances as songwriters are amazing.
Things slow down a little during the back half, but it still isn’t too bad. The movie still ends on a high note, and I finished by wondering why this has a bad reputation.
It may have been an issue of casting. Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman are both great, and play their parts well, but the problem may have been that the audience expected them to both be smart or charismatic. This may have attracted a more adult audience that didn’t appreciate their lack of talent. I can imagine that if you don’t understand how silly their performances are, it might be easy to ignore that it’s a comedy.
The writing is solid, if a little understated. It’s funny, but many of the jokes don’t pop to the forefront the way you expect them to. It requires some listening, and the editing, performances, and direction aren’t going to tell you when to laugh.
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