The Producers (2005)

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.

Director:

Susan Stroman

Writers:

Mel Brooks (screenplay), Thomas Meehan (screenplay)

Stars:

Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

New York, 1959. Max Bialystock was once the king of Broadway, but now all his shows close on opening night. Things turn around when he's visited by the neurotic accountant Leo Bloom, who proposes a scheme tailor-made for producers who can only make flops: raise far more money than you need, then make sure the show is despised. No one will be interested in it, so you can pocket the surplus. To this end, they produce a musical called Springtime for Hitler written by escaped Nazi Franz Liebken. Then they get the insanely flamboyant Roger De Bris to direct. Finally, they hire as a lead actress the loopy Swedish bombshell Ulla (whose last name has over 15 syllables). As opening night draws near, what can go wrong? Well, there's no accounting for taste...

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Plot Keywords:

scheme | opening night | accountant | swedish | nazi | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual humor and references

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont Columbia Tristar [France] Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Producers: The Movie Musical

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$154,590, 18 December 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$19,377,727, 19 February 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Brooksfilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

The gun Franz is shooting appears to be a Luger, a very popular German pistol in the first half of the 1900s. The Luger came with an 8 round magazine and could hold an additional round in the chamber for a total of 9 shots, however 10 shots were fired without a reload. (3 in the ceiling when Franz walked in the door, 1 hit a statue, 1 hit a vase, 2 shots in the ceiling, 1 through a window, 1 hit the safe and a final shot when the gun was thrown)

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Quotes

[preparing to perform "The Guten Tag Hop-Clop"]
Franz Liebkind: First, you must roll up your pants.
Max Bialystock: Okay.
[He and Leo begin to roll up their pant legs]
Franz Liebkind: Rolling?
Max Bialystock: Rolling.
Franz Liebkind: Rolling?
Max Bialystock: Rolling.
Franz Liebkind: Come on, don't be stingy! Show some LEG!

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Crazy Credits

After the credits finish, cast members from the film (including a cameo by Mel Brooks) sing the number "Goodbye!", which is sung in the stage version at the conclusion of the curtain call.

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Connections

Featured in Music Movies: The Producers (2014)

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Soundtracks

Springtime for Hitler
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
Performed by John Barrowman, Uma Thurman, Michael Thomas Holmes, Mel Brooks,
Gary Beach, Bavarian Peasants, Brownshirts, Stormtroopers and Springtime Finale Chorus

User Reviews

Zero Would Be Proud

Mel Brooks, the comic genius of the late twentieth century, comes off great with this new production of his classic musical. Nathan Lane is a wonderful and wacky producer who rescues Matthew Broderick from a life of accounting boredom and makes him his understudy. They scheme to put on the biggest flop ever so they can close after one day and flee to Rio with the sponsors' $2 million. Of course, things don't turn out as they plan. Along the way, Uma Thurman displays her considerable charms along with a host of fine dancers and singers, from Neo-Nazis to Sing Sing prisoners to drag queens in full costume. Mel Brooks really knew how to brighten the day among the gloomy tedium of more sober folks who were trying to save the world or just merely trying to make a living. So here is another tipsy triumph of the master, beautifully realized and sung and danced by this splendid cast of multi-talented actors and actresses.