The Producers

Ever since I had heard it was coming to the stage, I'd been hoping to get a chance to see the musical version of Mel Brooks' 1968 classic The Producers. Unfortunately, it's impossible to get tickets. The multi-Tony-winning production is booked so far in advance, my best bet would be to order tickets now and then will them to my great-grandchildren, who could enjoy the show in 2116.

Fortunately, the makers of The Producers musical anticipated my plight, and selflessly made a big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit that I could order from my Comcast On-Demand service for $3.99 and watch in my underwear on an idle Sunday evening in July.

But enough foreplay, onto the review. I'd love to answer the question of how this movie stacks up against its Broadway counterpart, but I'll instead have to compare it to the 1968 original, to which it remained commendably faithful. Of course, some changes are to be expected, since the remake is a musical and the original is not. As a result, we're treated to a few moments where characters reveal their thought processes via singing. (Audiences were forced to intuit thought processes in the original.) But the plot moves from point A to point B to point C in more or less the same way, with only a few major departures.

One such departure is the addition of a relationship between accountant Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) and secretary/receptionist Ulla (Uma Thurman), who, in another departure, also has a role in the film's showpiece musical: "Springtime for Hitler."

If you haven't seen either version, I may have lost you by now, so here's a quick rundown. Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) is a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer; Leo Bloom is the accountant hired to do his books. When Bloom discovers a loophole in the system that would allow a producer to make more money from a flop than from a hit, Bialystock takes the idea and runs with it, dragging Bloom along with him. The pair set about finding the worst script, worst director, and worst actors they can find, eventually hiring a flamingly gay director to direct the neo-Nazi-written travesty "Springtime for Hitler." (In another departure from the original, the neo-Nazi (Franz Liebkind, played by Will Ferrell) ends up getting cast as the lead actor, only to be replaced on the eve of the show by gay director Roger DeBris (Gary Beach).) Needless to say, the audience mistakes the horrid show for a comedy and it becomes a hit, much to the chagrin of Bialystock and Bloom.

The whole show (both the original and the musical adaptation) is fused with Mel Brooks' not-so-subtle sense of humor. Physical comedy, ridiculous characters, and a whole lot of screaming are his comedic staples, garnished with the occasional one-liner or pun (always delivered with a big ol' wink, just to make sure no one misses the joke). But you know what? It's still funny. It's not sophisticated humor, by any means, but I still laughed out loud on more than one occassion.

Much of that is down to the quality of the acting, as the new cast does a fairly admirable job of living up to the standard set by the old cast. Leading the pack is Nathan Lane, playing a part that's probably better suited to him than it was to original actor Zero Mostel anyway. Both Lane and Mostel give excellent performances, and Lane to his credit walks that fine line between copying the original and making the part his own. Matthew Broderick is not as lucky, having to fill the shoes of the legendary Gene Wilder, and—as Johnny Depp found out playing Willy Wonka—that's easier said than done. Broderick falls a good five or six steps shy of Wilder, but his performance is still passable (which I suppose is a testament to how brilliant Wilder's performance really was.)

Uma Thurman does a solid job as the female lead, not that her role is that taxing. She basically has to be tall, sexy, and speak in a ridiculous Swedish accent. Thurman's Swedish accent worked just fine, and I imagine it wasn't too much of a stretch for her to play tall and sexy. Will Ferrell gave a trademark over-the-top performance, but he's hurt by the fact that he's Will Ferrell. Watching him, you can't help but think, "Hey, you're not German! You're Will Ferrell!"

All things considered, though, I was quite satisfied with the musical adaptation of The Producers. It doesn't have everything the original had, but at the same time it brings new things to the table (i.e. songs). If you haven't seen the 1968 original yet, watch that first. But if you've seen and fallen in love with Zero and Gene, you won't be disappointed by Nathan and Matt. Zero and Gene gave unforgettable performances that netted the original an 8 on the 22 scale, while Nathan and Matt are just a shade behind them, earning the new The Producers a perfectly commendable 7.