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:

slapstick comedy | yodeling | theatre production | based on film | based on stage musical | 

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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 King of Broadway, the second number following Opening Night, one of the most famous of the songs, and the number that introduces the Bialystock character, was cut out. This song also included the famous Mel Brooks line from History of the World: Part I (1981) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993): "It's good to be the King!"

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Goofs

During the 'Heil Myself' number, the characters sing the line "If you're looking for a war, here's World War Two!" and make the hand gestures for 'W' 'W' '2'. The lead tenor (John Barrowman) is in a hurry to replace his hat and does the hand gestures incorrectly: 'V' 'W' '2'.

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Quotes

Leo Bloom: I'm not going to the toilet, I'm going to showbiz!

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Crazy Credits

For the closing credits, Will Ferrell (in the character of Franz Liebkind) recorded "The Hop-Clop Goes On" - a slower version of "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop" that parodies "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic" right down to the cheesy instrumentals. At the end of the song, Franz whispers to the audience: "Don't forget to purchase 'Mein Kampf' in paperback. You can find it at Borders... or Barnes and Noble...und Amazon.com"

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Connections

Referenced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Villains (2002)

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Soundtracks

Opening Night
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
Performed by Bryn Dowling, Meg Gillentine and Opening Nighters

User Reviews

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.