Don't go looking to the film adaptation of the musical comedy "The Producers" for any life lessons or suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. But if you are in search of flat-out, unadulterated entertainment, this movie will by no means leave you disappointed.
After years as a Tony-award winning success, "The Producers" transforms the big screen into a two-dimensional theatrical stage. While dance numbers, clever musical pieces and witty one-liners essentially characterize this as a Broadway production, it is the cinematic elements that take this show, along with the audience, a step beyond a standard musical.
The film begins in 1959 with Max Bialystock (played by Nathan Lane), a has-been Broadway producer whose most recent show is a huge failure. Enter Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick), a neurotic accountant who has dreams of making it big as a Broadway producer and also carries around his baby blanket, which he uses to caress his face during his frequent breakdowns.
After helping Bialystock hide some unaccounted-for surplus from his last production, Bloom discovers that one could make more money producing a flop rather than a theatrical success. After hearing this, Bialystock attempts to enlist the help of Bloom, who immediately shoots down the idea of leaving his comfortable, albeit lackluster, life as an accountant.
After an impressive musical piece in his office, Bloom changes his mind and enters the chaotic life of a producer as Bialystock's partner. In order to execute their plan, they set out to obtain the rights to the most poorly-written play, hire the worst director in town and hire the least-talented actors. In their mind with all the wrong elements, there is no way this show can go right.
The play they choose, entitled "Springtime with Hitler," is written by Franz Liebkind, a former Nazi and pigeon enthusiast played by Will Ferrell. Liebkind will find any way to pay homage to Hitler, whose middle name he insists was Elizabeth. Ferrell effectively steals every scene he is in, not necessarily portraying this lederhosen-clad character as a menace, but rather as someone who adds a touch of unpredictability to the development of the scene. He adds a strong comedic presence to the film, one that would not fit on Broadway but is essential with the transition to the big screen.
Next the pair enlists the help of the exceedingly flamboyant director Roger DeBris (Gary Beach), who insists he will only take on the show if it loses the depressing war aspect and becomes more light-hearted, or as he and his entourage put it, "more gay."
Uma Thurman plays Ulla, the Swedish bombshell who earns a starring role in their show after a simple song and dance routine that entirely mesmerizes Bialystock and Bloom.
After setting forth to produce the worst show ever to hit Broadway, the audience devours the performance and it is deemed a "satirical masterpiece." This signals their plan has failed and that now they must try to avoid prison.
Lane and Broderick effortlessly carry their chemistry over to the film and provide director Susan Stroman with the perfect leading men. Mel Brooks, who wrote the original 1968 screenplay, lends his voice to both a black cat and a Stormtrooper in the film.
The film provides audiences with a chance to escape for a couple of hours and enjoy all the aesthetic appeal that comes with any musical. Although not much stays with you after leaving the theater, it is the entertainment and lightheartedness of this film that makes it worth the ticket price.
Grade: AB