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The Producers

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The Producers (2005)

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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

US 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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1 - 4 of 5

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Reviews for The Producers

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
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Barely adequate.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/17/06
Paul Byrnes
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Laugh til' you drop - the musical version of The Producers is finally here. When Mel Brooks conceived his comedy satire, the subject matter of ridiculing Hitler was brave to say the least. And nearly 40 years later, it still leaves bite marks.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/11/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Confirmed my original opinion that the musical version of The Producers was a flash-in-the-pan success that won't be remembered ten years from now.

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
12/30/06
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

An inert musical and a pale copy of a comedy classic.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
12/15/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Despite a certain manic energy, the comic schtick between Lane and Broderick feels as stale as last year's croissants; you can tell they've done these jokes a thousand times.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/13/05
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
BBC

It's novel only if you're curious about what you missed on Broadway, but it ultimately disrespects cinema.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/16/05
Rory L. Aronsky
Rory L. Aronsky
Film Threat

'Everything is show biz, don't you know,' states Lane, and 'The Producers' evangelizes this message with fundamentalist zeal.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
12/28/05
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Arguably the funniest movie of the year.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
01/24/06
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

The Producers is a movie based on a play based on a movie about a play. And that's probably the funniest thing about it.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
12/15/05
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

... a kitschy celebration of all things Mel.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
12/27/05
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

The original was far funnier and somehow managed to cut to the chase with less of a song and dance.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment 2 Comments
08/02/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

Sure, The Producers, a movie-turned-hit Broadway musical-turned-movie again is pure camp, filled with over-blown musical numbers and over-inflated performances. But that's what we want in a movie musical--unadulterated fun.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
12/19/05
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

The real reason to see this film is the addition of the musical numbers -- catchy and clever songs, written in the style of classic 1950s Broadway musicals.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/27/06
Russ Breimeier
Russ Breimeier
Christianity Today

Nathan Lane's brand of old-school shtick is exactly what this project calls for.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
12/21/05
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

Garish, irritating, and totally unfunny.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment 1 Comment
12/24/05
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Ferrell hasn’t been this enjoyably nuts since Old School, proving that his real talent is as an ensemble player rather than a marquee star.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
01/03/06
Brett Buckalew
Brett Buckalew
FilmStew.com

Not so much a film as an awkwardly framed souvenir of the Broadway hit musical, The Producers needs a live audience like a candle needs oxygen.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
12/31/05
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

If it's subtlety you're after, go see another movie. But if you just want to laugh, make a date with The Producers.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
12/27/05
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

Not for the resolutely politically correct or the shtick-averse. For everyone else, it's the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
12/15/05
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

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.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
12/24/05
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
 
 
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