Ishtar (1987)
Estimated Budget: $55 Million
Gross: $14.3 Million
Director: Elaine May
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, Isabelle Adjani, Charles Grodin
If Heaven’s Gate destroyed the power of the star directors of the 60’s and 70’s (Hit-machine Spielberg excluded), Ishtar destroyed the power of star actors of those decades…as well as the directing career of comedy legend Elaine May. Conceived as a sort of tribute to the Crosby and Hope films of the 40’s, aging playboys Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman partied their way around Morocco, while occasionally shooting a film. The tremendous egos of the two stars and May’s inexperience, combined with the difficulty of shooting in the desert caused the film to go wildly over budget.
