Maybe they should call it "The Do-Overs," "The Remakers" or simply, "We're Out of Ideas."
The Producers (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:148
Fresh:75
Rotten:73
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Despite the rich source material, The Producers has a stale, stagy feel more suited to the theater than the big screen.
Runtime: 2 hrs 15 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Dec 16, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $19,151,907
Synopsis: This remake of Mel Brooks' 1968 film features Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the roles that they originated in the smash Broadway adaptation of the original film. Broadway producer Max... This remake of Mel Brooks' 1968 film features Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the roles that they originated in the smash Broadway adaptation of the original film. Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Lane) is famous for his spectacular opening night flops. Leopold Bloom (Broderick) is an uptight accountant who virtually discovers gold while reviewing Max's books. When Leo realizes that you can actually make more money with a flop than with a hit, the two team up and begin a search for both the worst script and the worst director they can find to ensure failure. The script selection seems easy when the duo stumble upon SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER, an homage to the Fuhrer penned by Franz Liebkind (Will Ferrell), a German sympathetic to the Nazi cause. Convinced that the script will incite outrage, the duo needs a bad director to seal the deal. Campy director Roger DeBris (Gary Beach) and his assistant (Roger Bart) fit the bill perfectly. But when their scheme fails, Max and Leo find themselves with the worst possible outcome: a hit. To make matters worse, Franz is just a little peeved that Hitler was depicted disrespectfully--and he has a gun. Will Max and Leo survive the playwright's wrath? Will they go to jail for cooking the books? And will Leo ever submit to the advances of sexy Swedish receptionist/actress Ulla (Uma Thurman)? Directed by stage director Susan Stroman, making her feature film directorial debut, this riotous romp features lots of laughs from the major players, as well as brief appearances by Jon Lovitz, Michael McKean, and Richard Kind. Lane and Broderick make it easy to understand why the show was an unprecedented hit on Broadway, and Ferrell is a scene-stealer as Liebkind. [More]
Starring: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell
Starring: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell, Andrea Martin, Gary Beach, Roger Bart
Director: Susan Stroman
Director: Susan Stroman
Studio: Universal Pictures
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Reviews for The Producers
It's not funny, and not because it's shocking, but because it's old--so old, in fact, that it's just, well, pathetic.
Here's something no movie director has ever said to Nathan Lane: "Um, Mr. Lane, could you give me a little more?"
Ms. Stroman's efforts to open up the play lack imagination, and all the musical numbers probably worked better on stage.
Though Stroman directed the stage version, she is the wrong choice for this adaptation.
If you're new to this crazy Mel Brooks creation, this 2005 cinematic torture chamber is the last way anyone should experience it for the first time.
No one can be wholly ruined in a big fat sardonic musical, a form demanding grandeur, gaucheness, and above all, giddy delights. Unfortunately, this movie musical rather forgets the movie part.
... to have seen either the original movie, or Lane and Broderick on Broadway (I saw both) is to be reminded what a lamentable knockoff this is.
The Producers is a great outing for the family, if everyone is over the age of 13.
So how good is the movie of the musical of the movie? The answer is: It's pretty good.
The major failing for Producers the film is that it quite often forgets that it is a film, structured much more closely to a Broadway production.
Probably played better on stage, but it still makes a good night's entertainment...Silly fun.
So bad that it persuades you that the show's record-setting Tony victories in 2001 were absolute confirmation of the demise of the Broadway musical, not its rebirth.
It's a treat to see Broderick and Lane reprising their roles - both actors are extremely funny and display impressive singing and dancing skills.
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