You're Wrong About The Worst Movie Ever Made? with Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson
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Mar 13, 2026 Amy Nicholson, film critic and Unspooled co-host, offers sharp historical context. Paul Scheer, comedian and Unspooled co-host, brings production stories and industry color. They unpack Ishtar’s chaotic shoot, clashing creative styles, studio politics, and how a film becomes a cultural punching bag. Short, funny tangents pop up throughout.
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Perfectionism Led To Camels, Vultures, And Bulldozers
- Production descended into perfectionism mania: the crew reportedly interviewed multiple camels and later discovered the first camel had been eaten.
- Stories like the vulture sandstorm and bulldozed dunes grew into a set mythology that the film was 'cursed.'
Crew Alliances Can Undermine The Director
- Power dynamics on set fractured creative control, with Vittorio Storaro siding with Beatty over May.
- When the DP and lead actor align against a director, the director's authority and tone for the film can collapse.
A New Studio Head Publicly Rooted For The Film To Fail
- David Puttnam became Columbia's head mid-shoot and openly wanted Ishtar to fail to prove a point about star-driven expensive films.
- His public attacks on Beatty and Hoffman (and preference for cheaper movies) added a political layer hoping to weaponize the flop.