The Producers (2005)
A SCHEME SO BAD IT'S GOOD
U.S. Release Date
Dec 16, 2005
Rotten Tomatoes
🍅 50%
Audience Score
🍿 72%
Official Synopsis
Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane), a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer, and Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick), a mousy accountant, hatch a plan to strike it rich by producing the biggest flop in theatrical history. Their "sure-fire" disaster, a musical titled "Springtime for Hitler," is designed to fail so they can pocket the $2 million investment. However, to their horror, the show is hailed as a satirical masterpiece, leaving them with a runaway hit and a massive legal headache.
Production Dossier
Financials
Budget: $45 Million
Box Office: $38.1 Million
Studio: Universal / Columbia
Technical Specs
Cinematography: John Bartholomew
Choreography: Susan Stroman
Runtime: 134 Minutes
Cast & Crew
- Director: Susan Stroman
- Writer: Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan
- Starring: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell, Gary Beach, Roger Bart
Primary Filming Locations
• Steiner Studios, Brooklyn, NY: The vast majority of the musical was filmed on these soundstages.
• Central Park, Manhattan: The "I Wanna Be a Producer" sequence utilized the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain.
• 44th Street, Manhattan: Exterior shots of the fictional theatre district locations.
• Central Park, Manhattan: The "I Wanna Be a Producer" sequence utilized the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain.
• 44th Street, Manhattan: Exterior shots of the fictional theatre district locations.
Fun Facts
- Original Duo: Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprised their iconic Broadway roles for the film after the musical won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards.
- Ferrell's Audition: Will Ferrell spent weeks practicing his pigeon-handling skills to play the role of the Nazi-obsessed playwright, Franz Liebkind.
- Bialystock's Office: The production design team meticulously recreated Max’s office to feel like a "time capsule" of 1950s Broadway.
- Uma's Voice: While many Broadway actors were used, Uma Thurman performed her own vocals for the character Ulla.
Original Review (May 18, 2006)
I haven't had a lot of free time lately to enjoy a film. So it's a nice treat when I actually find a few hours to lay down on my sofa, and catch a flick on the big screen.
That is....unless.... the movie I choose to watch happens to be The Producers.
Then it becomes a horrible nightmare.
Simply put The Producers is one of the worst movies of the decade.
This is the movie version of the huge smash hit Broadway musical stage adaptation of the classic Mel Brooks film. Judging from this film one wonders why people have lined up for hours and paid outrageous amounts of money to catch these performances.
The performances, at least in the film, are so over the top that it becomes hard to believe that anybody besides a five year old would be entertained by such work. Not only is it over the top, but painfully awkward to watch because they obviously BELIEVE they are funny. I swear at some points in the film I could see Matthew Broderick smiling at Nathan Lane's performance.
The movie is that bad.
The movie also suffers by not having a real film director running things. For some bizarre reason the studio let the director of the stage version, Susan Stroman, direct the movie. Checking out her credits on IMDB I find that she directed a t.v. special of another stage production and....that's about it. Apparently her other film credits consists of being choreographer of dance numbers on other t.v. specials.
Seriously.
The results are pretty much what one would suspect, a disaster. Besides not having any kind of vision for the film she's unable to tone down any of the performances. It's almost as if she had a really great video camera and just recorded the stage version....without an audience. Literally nailed the tripod to the floor and let everyone mug at the camera like two year olds. Not even Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell are immune from the over the top antics.
It's not like I'm not familiar with the material either. I think the original film with Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel is hilarious. I'm even familiar with the Broadway soundtrack. I gave my wife a CD of the soundtrack several years ago, and for months she had it playing in her car. Even though I got sick of the music pretty quick, I thought, initially, the music was kind of funny.
That is until I watched the film. I never thought it possible, but the music actually becomes worse when one sees the performances.
The musical numbers are just ridiculous.
At one point Leo Bloom and Max Bialystock sing a ballad to each other.....a love ballad.
I know it's a cliche to call musical theatre..... Gay.....but that's pretty much what I thought about that ballad. The problem is the characters aren't homosexual. Which makes one wonder..... what the hell is going on.
Speaking of Gay there's actually a song called "Keep it Gay" that I thought was amusing when I first heard it on the CD.
Upon watching the musical number, I no longer think it's amusing.....actually I find it offensive and disturbing.....like the rest of the movie.
Needless to say the movie is a mess. It actually makes me sad, and depressed to think that this is the biggest show on Broadway. It makes me mourn for the theatre.
Please don't watch this movie.
That is....unless.... the movie I choose to watch happens to be The Producers.
Then it becomes a horrible nightmare.
Simply put The Producers is one of the worst movies of the decade.
This is the movie version of the huge smash hit Broadway musical stage adaptation of the classic Mel Brooks film. Judging from this film one wonders why people have lined up for hours and paid outrageous amounts of money to catch these performances.
The performances, at least in the film, are so over the top that it becomes hard to believe that anybody besides a five year old would be entertained by such work. Not only is it over the top, but painfully awkward to watch because they obviously BELIEVE they are funny. I swear at some points in the film I could see Matthew Broderick smiling at Nathan Lane's performance.
The movie is that bad.
The movie also suffers by not having a real film director running things. For some bizarre reason the studio let the director of the stage version, Susan Stroman, direct the movie. Checking out her credits on IMDB I find that she directed a t.v. special of another stage production and....that's about it. Apparently her other film credits consists of being choreographer of dance numbers on other t.v. specials.
Seriously.
The results are pretty much what one would suspect, a disaster. Besides not having any kind of vision for the film she's unable to tone down any of the performances. It's almost as if she had a really great video camera and just recorded the stage version....without an audience. Literally nailed the tripod to the floor and let everyone mug at the camera like two year olds. Not even Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell are immune from the over the top antics.
It's not like I'm not familiar with the material either. I think the original film with Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel is hilarious. I'm even familiar with the Broadway soundtrack. I gave my wife a CD of the soundtrack several years ago, and for months she had it playing in her car. Even though I got sick of the music pretty quick, I thought, initially, the music was kind of funny.
That is until I watched the film. I never thought it possible, but the music actually becomes worse when one sees the performances.
The musical numbers are just ridiculous.
At one point Leo Bloom and Max Bialystock sing a ballad to each other.....a love ballad.
I know it's a cliche to call musical theatre..... Gay.....but that's pretty much what I thought about that ballad. The problem is the characters aren't homosexual. Which makes one wonder..... what the hell is going on.
Speaking of Gay there's actually a song called "Keep it Gay" that I thought was amusing when I first heard it on the CD.
Upon watching the musical number, I no longer think it's amusing.....actually I find it offensive and disturbing.....like the rest of the movie.
Needless to say the movie is a mess. It actually makes me sad, and depressed to think that this is the biggest show on Broadway. It makes me mourn for the theatre.
Please don't watch this movie.
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