The stage show veterans have done these roles so many times, they're more than second nature, and also a little stale.
The Producers (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for The Producers
You can't kill all the laughs, not from a script by Mel Brooks, but Stroman sells Brooks' songs with the subtlety of cannon fire.
If it never quite reaches the heights of comic brilliance that Brooks and his lunatic cast achieved in 1968, it still generates plenty of laughs.
The picture is so garish and creatively lazy at times, it almost becomes the very sort of vapid spectacle it parodies.
It's novel only if you're curious about what you missed on Broadway, but it ultimately disrespects cinema.
Mildness and blandness/ Mugging like madness/ Who knew that Rent would win this fight?/ Murdering a genre's just not all right!
There's nothing subtle about The Producers. But really, there never was, in any of its incarnations.
First-time film director Susan Stroman has been painfully faithful in bringing her multi-Tony-winning Broadway musical to the big screen, at full volume and as theatrical as ever.
Life would be a whole lot sweeter if every grouchy person were sent to watch the high-spirited The Producers.
Stroman keeps things lively, and Lane, in particular, comes into his own. He mugs too much for my taste but then again, The Producers isn't exactly subtle. It wouldn't be The Producers if it were.
It's hard to imagine any but the most hardened grouch being able to walk away from the effort without a smile.
Staged like stale Broadway theater, something has gone awry between the stage and the screen.
This campy production and its scenery-chewing performers (notably Lane, Beach and Will Ferrell) inspire lots of yuks.
Finally, in its third incarnation, it's perfect... The story flows better on film and you can see the nuance as opposed to the broad caricature projected to the back row.
The kind of screwy indulgence only Brooks could spotlight, and it did occur to me, as I watched it, how much absurd voices like his are missed in today's movies.
If you're not laughing at The Producers, you have no sense of humor and if you're somehow offended, you are a moron not worthy of its genius.
The original movie didn't know how funny it was, which is part of what made it funny. This hits every joke square on the beat instead of a contrapuntal sidelong whack.
a series of pathetic attempts to give stars Lane and Broderick more opportunities to mug for the camera in tepid and unnecessary song and dance numbers
Latest News for The Producers
July 19, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Can Chuck and Larry Beat Up Harry?
Two new star-driven Hollywood comedies face off at the box office this weekend in an attempt to unseat Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix from the top spot. Adam Sandler... More...
March 01, 2006:
RT Visits The "Dreamgirls" Production
RT's Jen and Matt were treated to a razzle-dazzle evening on Monday night for a press presentation of Bill Condon's upcoming Motown showbiz musical, "Dreamgirls." They... More...
February 13, 2006:
Trailer Bulletin: Talladega Nights
For those of us who loved "Anchorman" and semi-suffered through "Kicking & Screaming," "Bewitched," and "The Producers" while waiting... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Producers at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Producers at IGN
- The Producers at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Techland lists the best Sci-Fi films of this decade.

Moviefone takes a look back at the biggest stinkers of the past 10 years.

The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill offers his thoughts on what the best decade for film was.

In the AV Club's "Scenic Routes," Mike D'Angelo reminisces about the Tim Burton film.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


