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Ishtar (1987)

PG-13  |   |  Action, Adventure, Comedy  |  15 May 1987 (USA)
4.1
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Ratings: 4.1/10 from 8,402 users   Metascore: 52/100
Reviews: 125 user | 47 critic | 16 from Metacritic.com

Two terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the CIA, the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime.

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Title: Ishtar (1987)

Ishtar (1987) on IMDb 4.1/10

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
Jim Harrison
...
Marty Freed
...
Willa
...
Carol
...
Emir Yousef
Fijad Hageb ...
Abdul (as Fuad Hageb)
...
Mr. Clarke
Rose Arrick ...
Mrs.Clarke
Julie Garfield ...
Dorothy
...
Siri Darma (as Christine Rose)
Robert V. Girolami ...
Bartender (as Bob Girolami)
Abe Kroll ...
Mr. Thomopoulos
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Storyline

Two terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the CIA, the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime. Written by Stern

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

emir | cia | map | morocco | hotel | See All (100) »


Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

15 May 1987 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Иштар  »

Box Office

Budget:

$51,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$14,375,181 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Privately, both Warren Beatty and Elaine May began to confess they had made a mistake. "I was going to give this gift to Elaine, and it turned out to be the opposite," Dustin Hoffman recalls Beatty telling him. Matters came to a head when it came time to shoot the film's climactic battle scenes. They were far outside her background in improvisational theatre, and during a confrontation with Beatty, May said, "You want it done? You shoot it!" Many crew members said that, on any other film, the director would have been fired. Beatty knew that if he called her bluff, he would have had to finish directing the film himself, which would have been a major embarrassment given that his main objective in making the film was to give May the chance she had never had. He compromised by scaling back the battle scenes. See more »

Goofs

By the chandelier when Jim talks to the Emir. See more »

Quotes

Chuck Clarke: And now, a song dedicated to a lovely lady... of the Left.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Hudson Hawk (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

That's Amore
Lyrics by Jack Brooks
Music by Harry Warren
Performed by Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman
See more »

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User Reviews

 
my favourite movie as fun
18 September 2004 | by (Arnprior, Ontario) – See all my reviews

I know it's not the best. Arsenic and Old Lace is the top comedy of all time. Citizen Kane the greatest film. Gone with the Wind the greatest epic.

Wizard of Oz the finest fantasy. And L.O.T.R. 1,2,3 trilogy is the ultimate film legend.

But for me, Ishtar is pure fun. I saw it when it came out. Bought the video. Watch it twice a year and have my daughter hooked on it too.

It's the Vinyl Cafe /Dave and Morley type of humour that gets me. I can't hold a tune with a forklift and I find the singing style and lyrics of Rogers and Clark inspirational.

I feel for these guys. The Warren Beatty line to Dustin Hoffman " You'd rather have nothing, than settle for less. " reminds me of my own ( self-deprecating ) personal credo, 'Lower your standards and achieve! "

These innocents are taken on a journey of discovery through Ishtar and back home to the struggle against 'lives of quiet desperation.'


33 of 44 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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If you like Ishtar yakipoo
why dos everyone hate this movie noer86
Hands down one of the worst movies I've ever seen. So bad I walked out ShazzMatazz
Dustin Hoffman defends Ishtar on Talk of the Nation nnnn8
Hell's video store madmoizelle
Quentin Tarantino introduced Ishtar last night at a screening horrorbargainbin
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