The Producers (2005)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Susan Stroman

Writers (WGA):

Mel Brooks (screenplay) and
Thomas Meehan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

After putting together another Broadway flop, down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock teams up with timid accountant Leo Bloom in a get-rich-quick scheme to put on the world's worst show.

Plot Keywords:

Opening Night | Accountant | Nazi | Billboard | Based On Adaptation

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Nathan Lane	...	Max Bialystock
Matthew Broderick	...	Leo Bloom
Uma Thurman	...	Ulla
Will Ferrell	...	Franz Liebkind
Gary Beach	...	Roger DeBris
Roger Bart	...	Carmen Ghia
Eileen Essell	...	Hold Me-Touch Me
Michael McKean	...	Prison Trustee
David Huddleston	...	Judge
Debra Monk	...	Lick Me-Bite Me
Andrea Martin	...	Kiss Me-Feel Me
Jon Lovitz	...	Mr. Marks
Bryn Dowling	...	Usherette / Girl With Pearls / Little Old Lady / Bavarian Peasant
Meg Gillentine	...	Usherette / Girl With Pearls / Little Old Lady / Tapping Brown Shirt
Kevin Ligon	...	Workman / Little Old Lady

Also Known As:

The Producers: The Movie Musical (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual humor and references.

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (Certificate #42240) | UK:12A | Australia:M | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Brazil:12 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Norway:A | Sweden:7 | Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | Finland:K-3 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:6 | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The posters visible in Shubert Alley outside the theater are all for real Broadway shows from the 1950s and '60s. They include: Redhead (which played from February 1959 to March 1960) with Gwen Verdon and Richard Kiley; My Fair Lady (March 1956-September 1962) with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison; The Sound of Music (November 1959-June 1963) with Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel; Destry Rides Again (April 1959-June 1960) with Andy Griffith and Dolores Gray; and West Side Story (September 1957-June 1959) with Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence, and Chita Rivera.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the dance sequence with the little old ladies, one sees a yellow-colored traffic signal. New York City traffic signals were dark green/gray in 1959, when the movie was set. New York would not begin using yellow until 1962, when Traffic Commissioner Henry Barnes issued an order on 17 January of that year, and this was not widespread for at least two years after that.

Quotes:

Max Bialystock: [to a prisoner in Sing Sing] What are you in for, lack of rhythm?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Richard & Judy: (2006-01-09)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

I Wanna Be a Producer

Felt like being on Broadway

What an Excellent film! I went to an advance screening and left with my jaw aching from all the laughing and grinning.

At first, it felt the film was just the play in front of the camera, but the style eventually worked, turning the movie audience into a Broadway audience. At times, the director took the actors outside almost as a fun way of saying "see? with a camera, we can now move around!" Nonetheless, by the time we get to the most famous musical number, the audience was applauding and cheering after each song. During the credits, it felt like a curtain call with applauds for each actor.

So much fun and very deserving of the name Mel Brooks this film is great for the holidays (with the more adult jokes being concealed in song, and only minor swearing) older children and teenagers should get a kick out of this fast paced, fun, and very memorable film.

Also, just a bit of advice: stay until the end of the credits.