Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3399 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-04-24
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Hindi
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 134 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The film-of-the-musical-of-the-film, The Producers unites the hit Broadway pairing of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, drafts in Uma Thurman, and somewhere along the way loses half the fun that made the original movie and the Broadway show such a success.

Under the watchful eye of creator Mel Brooks, this may be a musical version but it tells the same tale--two men stumble across a great way to make money, by putting on a Broadway flop. So off they go to devise the most offensive, sure-fire failure, only to see their creation--Springtime For Hitler--become the town’s hot ticket.

While there’s undoubtedly some fun to be had here, and Lane and Broderick are clearly have a great time in their roles, there are a couple of key problems with The Producers. Firstly, and most crucially, is the staid direction. This very much feels like a camera was placed in front of a stage, and it hurts the film a lot. Secondly, the wonderful energy of Mel Brooks’ original movie is sadly lacking, and at no time does this no version threaten to be an equal to its predecessor.

And yet there are winning moments, some good laughs, and a gentle couple of hours of entertainment. Yet the key attraction is clearly a chance for the majority who never got to see Lane and Broderick treading the boards in their acclaimed performances before, and for many, that rightly justifies the asking price. You just can’t help wishing the film around them was a little better, though.--Simon Brew

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 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 realises 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.

Customer Reviews

Over the top
Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) is a loser as a Broadway producer, but his accountant Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) helps him come with up with a plan to produce the worst show ever on the Great White Way, one they know will close after only one performance, and then abscond with the money they raised. The show they're sure will bomb is called "Springtime for Hitler."

Based on Mel Brooks' Broadway musical that was based on his non-musical movie, this is pretty much a filmed stage play starring the play's two leads, Lane and Broderick. I like Nathan Lane, but this is too much of a good thing; he's too loud, too mincing, and too broad and is exhausting to watch. Broderick is full of wide-eyed, Ferris Bueller-charm and likeability, but he is tiresome after a while, too. Will Farrell was completely awful as the Nazi-loving playwright and really ruined the show for me. All the dialogue is SHOUTED as if they're still trying to reach the last row of the balcony and they all seem so enamored of themselves and their material that it's off-putting.

I liked the original Producers back in 1968, which was nutty and wacky and funny; this time around, the movie is too big for the big screen. I grew weary and wanted it to end. I can certainly see how charming Lane and Broderick would be on the stage, especially if you're seated 100 feet from them. They're adorable and talented and the story is funny; it just doesn't work on the screen.

Highlight, Uma shows her Thurman's
Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) did it again. Yep his plays are flops. Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) accountant inadvertently suggests that one can make a mint by selling more than 100% of a flop production. This sets Max in motion to produce the floppiest play yet.
Will their scheme succeed?

Well ever since his successes in his youth Matthew Broderick has had a string of mediocre movies. The string has finally broken with this less than mediocre production. One plus is that they did not try to mimic the original film. The addition of several new musical pieces and keeping "Springtime for Hitler" shows a great effort at creativity while retaining the essence of the story. However the musical pieces were more vulgar than funny and relied of base language and gestures than on skill or relevancy.

There were some good actors such as Hilda the wrong way pigeon. And Uma looked like she had fun in this one. However most of the actors including Matthew Broderick looked like they were just walking through.

Best looked at as a musical with humour rather than a comedy
I enjoyed this film, for me the first hour and forty minutes flew by, maybe the final twenty three minutes felt a little drawn out, but not majorly so.

There are some really good comic moments in the film, for me it was not a laugh a minute film, but of course it's primarily a musical so I guess you should expect that anyway.

Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick work very well together, Uma Thurman was wasted in her part as she simply was not really given much to do, I'd have liked to have seen more of Will Ferrell, I think he's a superb comic talent and although he's let off of his leash a fair bit, he's never allowed to go into full flow, nor is he given enough screen time for my liking either as I'm sure it'd have been even funnier if he had been.

Overall though a really good effort, I've not seen the original version so I can't compare this to the original, but if you enjoy/don't mind musicals then this is well worth taking a look at, I'm glad I did.