After putting together another Broadway flop, timid accountant Leo Bloom teams up with down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock in a get-rich-quick scheme to put on the world's worst show.After putting together another Broadway flop, timid accountant Leo Bloom teams up with down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock in a get-rich-quick scheme to put on the world's worst show.After putting together another Broadway flop, timid accountant Leo Bloom teams up with down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock in a get-rich-quick scheme to put on the world's worst show.
- Awards
- 1 win & 17 nominations total
Featured reviews
If it's so true to the original then why, you ask, would anyone bother watching the remake?
For the same reason we rush out to buy the digitally remastered versions of our favorites. We want to see them shiny and new, the way we've never seen them before but without destroying the original charm. Here we have writer/director Mel Brooks after 40 more years of experience and maturity, doing it again for a new generation, yet having the humility to keep it the same as it was for the old generation. Imagine going to your favorite band's reunion tour and having the thrill of seeing/hearing them sound exactly the way they did decades ago but now with a stage 5x the size and all the fun stuff that they never had the chance to do before.
What's that? Never saw the original "Producers"? Even better. Here you have the opportunity to see a classic, but with crisp, modern production standards. And with some crazy showtunes that were never there the first time around. My guess is that Mel always wanted this to have more music, like his later classics, "Blazing Saddles""History of the World", "High Anxiety", etc. But with "The Producers" being his directoral debut in '68 he toned it down a bit. Here we get the absurdly flamboyant musical he always wanted.
Actually there are 2 big changes to the original, both of which are so perfect I can't believe I went all these years not missing them. The first is the expanded role of "Ulla" (played by Uma Thurman) who is perfect as the ditzy Swedish bombshell. The second is Will Ferrell as the Franz the closet Nazi. In both of these cases, the characters pop right out of the screen. Will's song "Der Guten Tag Hop Clop," complete with choreographed pigeons, had me howling.
And that brings me to the biggest reason why you'd want to see this remake, aside from the songs, the dancing and choreography is EXCELLENT. Folks, this isn't just a movie with some crazy songs and actors flailing for laughs. It has some great dance numbers with nice moves had by all.
All of this has the effect of making "The Producers" (2005) more like the extravagant musical comedies that made Mel famous in the 70s. This remake got everything right. I have to say, compared to other successful directors who now sit in their ivory towers disparaging their early work and swearing they'll never do that again, Mel's still the same as he ever was, but even more so. Keep em coming, sir!
In theory, "The Producers" was the right candidate for making the transfer to the screen since it involved the same director, Susan Stroman, and the two principals, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, who were paid a cool million each to come back to the show, last winter, when sales were lagging because the substitute actors weren't pulling in the crowds the original stars did. The film looks as though it's a poor imitation of what might have been in the theater.
The music is the first thing that is wrong with the film. The musical score by Mr. Brooks leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, the whole film could be considered a vulgar attempt at the musical genre. But alas, that's another problem with the New York Broadway theater that prefers to revive third rate musicals with people that have no talent for the stage and only serve to attract the tourist crowds that jam the large theaters with its theme park musicals.
Another problem are the two principals. Perhaps when the show opened on Broadway both Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick might have given the show a different flavor with their interpretation of Max Bialistock and Leo Bloom. The director doesn't seem to use them for the new medium effectively. In fact, both Mr. Lane and Mr. Broderick, left to their own instincts can be awful, as proved by their recent appearance on Broadway in "The Odd Couple", a show which we caught a preview recently. This pair of charismatic actors are seen in the film doing their own shtick.
Uma Thurman is fine as the long limbed Swedish secretary in a fun role that seems to be the only thing right in the movie. Gary Beach's flamboyant gay director is fun to watch.
"The Producers", in this reincarnation doesn't show anything new as a movie.
Taking the places of Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder as the producing partners Bialystock&Bloom are Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. Both these guys are given an impossible task of repeating two classically congruent performances that Mostel and Wilder created. Even the additional bits of business just can't make me forget the original.
Will Ferrall did not come over from Broadway to do the role of the hermit like Nazi living in Greenwich Village and caring for his carrier pigeons. He had to do double duty because he also took the place of beatnik method actor Dick Shawn from the original. I'm not sure that combining the roles was the best thing, I'm also not sure Ferrall did real justice to either try as he might on both. Kenneth Mars was the reclusive Nazi author of Springtime For Hitler. in the original. Both he and Shawn were almost as memorable as Mostel and Wilder.
I do love the Mel Brooks humor, but I think he laid it on a bit thick with the gay stereotyping of Gary Beach and Roger Bart. It came this close to the good side of being offensive, but not quite.
There's a lot to like in this version of The Producers, but I think Mel should not have touched his masterpiece.
While his portrayal of Leo Bloom was too much like Gene Wilder's, Matthew Broderick was simply divine when dancing. Indeed it was an interesting to see the top half of his body so still and rigid while his legs and feet were moving with such poise and grace. Nathan Lane never seems to disappoint, he is simply brilliant. His physical resemblance to Zero Mostel is obvious but the mannerisms are all his own. Uma Thurman is good as Ula and Will Ferrell rediscovers his funny.
I didn't even mind the over-the-stop stereotypes. Gary Beach and Roger Bart are screamingly funny. Springtime for Hitler is the best part of the show and nice to see John Barrowman giving it his all as the blond Nazi.
If you want to be entertained for a few hours then this is the movie to go see, don't let the critics put you off!
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter Max (Nathan Lane) and Leo (Matthew Broderick) do Der Guten Tag Hop Clop with Franz (Will Ferrell), Max tries to pull open the door. When it doesn't open, he shouts, "We're trapped!" This is an inside joke from the play's run in England. One night, a stage hand had locked the door. When Nathan Lane tried it, he realized it was locked and shouted out, "We're trapped! Trapped like rats with a crazy Nazi!" A stage hand then went up and unlocked the door and they got out.
- GoofsThe older male dancer who says "Don't be stupid, be a schmarty..." is speaking with Mel Brooks' voice on his first appearance. The next time he is heard delivering a line, he has a completely different, deep voice. However, this is deliberate: the character also lip syncs to Mel Brooks' recorded voice in the stage production.
- Quotes
Ulla: My name is Ulla Inka Hanson Benson Yanson Tallen Hallen Swadon Swanson.
Max Bialystock: What is your first name?
Ulla: Oh that was my first name. Would you like to hear my last name?
Max Bialystock: We don't have the time.
- Crazy creditsFor 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"
- ConnectionsEdited into The Spoils (2024)
- SoundtracksThere's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
Performed by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Los productores
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $45,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $19,398,532
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $154,590
- Dec 18, 2005
- Gross worldwide
- $38,075,318
- Runtime2 hours 14 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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