Ishtar

One of the biggest financial (and not just financial) flops of all time, which ended May’s directorial career as well as… a great farce that is now being rediscovered by many fans of comedy. The problems encountered by the crew at each stage of Ishtar’s production – from the desert sand that irritated the eyes to the impossibility of finding a blue-eye camel – are legendary but often in the layers of these anecdotes the best gets lost: flamboyant acting and a brilliant use of the road movie genre. Cast against type are Dustin Hoffman (a pathetic playboy) and Warren Beatty (cute and dumb). They play talentless musicians used by the CIA as agents in the Middle East. And so, Chuck and Lyle end up as political figures, although they have no idea what they are doing. Richard Brody says it’s a masterpiece. And who are we supposed to believe if not the most important American film critic of our time?

Patrycja Mucha