In the mid-70s, Elaine May was an up-and-comer in Hollywood. First a success on Broadway as a comedian and playwright, she then became a rarity: a female director, taking helm of "The Heartbreak Kid", a movie that scored a couple of Oscar nominations.

Her next film, "Mikey and Nicky", didn't go over so well. May went over budget and was fired, only saving her job by hiding reels from the studio. Whether that was a good thing or not is not clear, since the movie bombed.

But the worse was yet to come... May met Warren Beatty.

It all started rather innocuously: she even got an Oscar nomination herself for writing Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait". But then Beatty needed a writer and director for his next project: one of the biggest movies in Hollywood history. Exotic locales, big budget, huge stars...

"Ishtar".

May hasn't directed a movie since.