When is a big-budget cinematic comedy also a punchline itself? When that comedy is Ishtar, the notorious box-office bomb that became the literal poster child for expensive Hollywood flops. Released in ...

Elaine May’s 1987 flop, “Ishtar,” might well be the most accomplished punching bag in cinematic history. The reasons aren’t hard to figure out, but are almost too numerous to name. Well before the ...

The 1987 film “Ishtar” has long held a cultural status much larger than that of just a single movie, as shorthand for the utter worst, an epochal flop with audiences and critics alike and a huge ...

The toxic reception Ishtar received upon its initial release exemplifies a phenomenon I like to call "The Curse Of Bigness." Epic size and scope is fine and dandy for costume epics, sci-fi ...

Alex Nguyen is a freelance entertainment writer. He writes about film and music at Spectrum Culture, The Line of Best Fit, Beats Per Minute, and more. Thirty-five years ago to the day saw the release ...

Elaine May's comedy Ishtar is remembered more for its tremendous financial failings than its actual content. Even causal cinephiles know the name Ishtar simply because of its infamous reputation as ...