Some things get better with age: wine, whiskey and wisdom. Unfortunately, movies don’t work the same way.
"Ishtar" was released in 1987, and even though it starred Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, they weren’t enough to save the weak plot and poorly written script. Back then, it was nominated for several Razzies, including Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay. Now, some 26 years later, it's been released on Blu-ray, but nothing's changed: It's still as bad as it was in 1987.
Although “Ishtar” is billed as a comedy, I struggled to muster anything more than a chuckle throughout the entire ordeal (you know a movie’s bad when you refer to it as an “ordeal”). The only thing I did laugh at was my plight: having to sit through this entire film in order to write my critique. Here goes:
Envision a buddy comedy, like "Dumb and Dumber" without the laughs or one of the "Naked Gun" movies without the slapstick. It’s awful. In comedies, I’m willing to exchange a weak plot for good laughs, but in the case of “Ishtar,” neither is present. Read these next sentences in the voice of Ben Stein, the “Droopy Dog” cartoon character or your dullest professor:
“Ishtar” is boring. “Ishtar” is dry. Don’t watch it.
Film: 1 Yap