Ishtar 15

“A fun, good-natured little comedy that just happened to cost big” – The Guardian.

Lyle Rodgers and Chuck Clarke (Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, playing against type) are two talentless struggling singer-songwriters. When they book a gig in Morocco, the dim-witted duo inadvertently become pawns in an international power play between the CIA and the fictional country of Ishtar. The fate of May’s much maligned final directorial feature film was decided before it was even released, following conflict with the studio, on-set struggles, and media scrutiny. In 1987, Ishtar became a byword for cinematic failure. Today, the comedy has been the subject of renewed critical reassessment and revived appreciation. It is ripe to be discovered or re-discovered on the big screen; as May said, “If all of the people who hate Ishtar had seen it, I would be a rich woman today.”

Screening as part of our May in December season.

Elaine May’s trailblazing career as a director, screenwriter and stand-up remains criminally undervalued. She made up one half of Nichols and May, the wildly successful comedy duo she formed with Mike Nichols. May left at the height of their success. Bringing her comedic sensibilities to the screen, May became the third woman ever to be admitted to the Directors Guild of America.

She is known for her acerbic writing, dark screwball comedies and for a body of work that skewers masculinity, wealth, and narcissism. To mark 50 years since the release of her gritty noir Mikey and Nicky, we present three of Elaine May's films on the big screen across three mondays in December.