Film

Ishtar

Name: Ishtar
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Released: 1987
Cast: Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Adjani, Charles Grodin, Jack Weston

Comedy
Light-hearted

Ishtar is a comedy about two hapless lounge singers who stumble into geopolitical espionage while trying to catch a break in Morocco. Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman play off each other with genuine charm as their characters careen through a plot involving the CIA, rebel forces, and an emir. It's a film that swings for the fences—ambitiously absurd, visually lush, and willing to let its stars be ridiculous.

TMDb rating

2.3

If you liked this

Midnight Run1988

Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin bicker their way across America with the same buddy-comedy chemistry that makes Ishtar work. Fast, funny, and genuinely affectionate about its mismatched pair.

But Lighter and more straightforward than Ishtar—if you're looking for that same anarchic energy, this is more conventional.

The In-Laws1979

Peter Falk and Alan Arkin as an uptight dentist and wild con artist dragged into diplomatic chaos. Shares Ishtar's delight in putting regular guys through espionage shenanigans with style and wit.

But Shot in a grainier 70s style that doesn't have Ishtar's glossy production values or exotic locations.

The Pink Panther1963

Peter Sellers as a bumbling detective destroying everything around him while embroiled in international intrigue. Pure physical comedy wrapped around a heist plot—the template for this kind of thing.

But Sellers' accent and comedic style feel very much of its era; some modern viewers find it mannered rather than funny.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Ishtar

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Delicatessen1991

Both films trust their actors to convey character through charm and physicality rather than exposition, and both find humor in ordinary people caught in extraordinary political situations.

A French post-apocalyptic dark comedy where a naive man and a mysterious woman become entangled in a butcher shop and rebellion against a bleak regime. Visually stunning, tonally strange, mixing absurdist humor with genuine sweetness.

But Surreal to the point of difficulty; it doesn't explain itself and doesn't care if you're lost. Darker than Ishtar in every way.

Ghostbusters II1989

The original team reuniting for a bigger, weirder, more expensive comedy. It understands that sometimes the best joke is giving talented comedians a massive budget and letting them play.

But A sequel trying to recapture lightning—the chemistry is there but the freshness isn't quite.

Coming to America1988

Eddie Murphy plays an African prince in New York; like Ishtar, it's a movie that cost an enormous amount of money to make two charismatic leads charming and ridiculous in foreign settings.

But Dated in its comedy style and some of its attitudes; it lands differently now than it did in 1988.

Brewster's Millions1985

Richard Pryor and John Candy in a high-concept comedy about spending a fortune. Endlessly inventive, visually bright, and genuinely delighted by its own premise—the spirit Ishtar aims for.

But Even less plot than Ishtar; if you need narrative momentum, this dissolves into set pieces pretty quickly.

The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe1972

A French absurdist romp where a violinist becomes an accidental spy. Deadpan, surreal, and absolutely committed to the bit—it's what Ishtar might be if it were made by European intellectuals.

But Subtitled, and its humor operates on a different frequency—slower, more elliptical, less obviously comedic.

The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe poster

Trading Places1983

Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in a caper that swaps their lives. Sharp, inventive, and unafraid to get ridiculous with its premise while keeping genuine stakes underneath.

But The financial satire ages unevenly, and it's considerably meaner-spirited than Ishtar's warmth.

Spies Like Us1985

Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd as bumbling CIA agents sent into the field. It commits fully to its premise and lets two comedians riff on spy tropes with genuine affection.

But Uneven—the buddy dynamic works but the plot meanders, and some of the comedy feels thin in retrospect.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988

Both are wildly expensive comedies from the late 1980s that prioritize gorgeous locations, visual invention, and letting talented actors play characters who are fundamentally good-hearted even when everything goes wrong around them.

Terry Gilliam's fever dream about an aging storyteller claiming impossible adventures, starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams. A maximalist fantasy that builds a whole world for characters to be absurd and endearing in.

But Often feels like it's collapsing under its own ambition; watching it is exhausting rather than fun for some viewers.