I can see people's ratings! Could ciao have actually fixed something?
I can see people's ratings! Could ciao have actually fixed something?
Member since:05.05.2005
Reviews:964
Members who trust:375
Max Bialystock is a producer, but not a very good one. After another flop, he is ready to give up. That is, until he meets shy accountant, Leo Bloom, who suggests that they raise the cash for a play that they know will be hugely unpopular, then pocket the surplus cash once the play has closed. And they think they have found their perfect potential flop in 'Springtime for Hitler', written by Franz Liebkind, a Nazi. Will Bialystock and Bloom be successful in their attempt to fail? Will Bialystock be as rich as he has dreamed of? And will Leo Bloom finally find happiness and a woman to love?
I should mention before I go any further that I have not seen the stage version of The Producers, or the original film written and directed by Mel Brooks back in 1968, and so cannot comment on the similarities/differences between them.
Nathan Lane plays Max Bialystock in the film, having successfully played him in the stage version. I was a bit taken aback by his performance to be honest. It is hugely theatrical, so much so that I felt it was too over-the-top for a film, and I think it should have been toned down a little. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy it at all - he did make me laugh on occasion - and he did grow on me during the course of the film, but I would still have preferred something a little less in my face.
This is, I suppose, the danger of casting someone from one entertainment genre into another. Had I seen him on stage, I may have enjoyed the performance more, but as it is, I was too overwhelmed to be able to say it was a good performance.
I did, however, love Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom, who also played him in the stage version. He is not an actor I am particularly familiar with, although I know I've seen him in films before, but there is something hugely appealing about his face and I really enjoyed his performance. He starts out as a stammering, retiring sort of man, who has problems talking to women and hates his job, but really evolves during the course of the film, so that by the end of it, he is brimming over with confidence. I've read a lot of criticism of Broderick's performance, but I liked it - it was convincing and he was the one that made me smile the most.
Uma Thurman is great as Ulla, an actress cum office assistant. She looks absolutely fantastic, which I'm sure is part of the appeal for many, and is gloriously over-the-top as a stereotypical Swedish lady who doesn't 'speak the English good', but not so much that I thought it was out of keeping with the film. And Will Ferrell, who plays Franz Liebkind, actually made me laugh for once. He is a stereotypical German, all short syllables and shorts, but he does it in a way that is laughable rather than offensive. At least to me. Actually, all of the characters are highly stereotypical - there is the brash, loud Max; the timid, geeky Leo; the curvy, dippy Ulla...so if you are likely to be offended by any of this, then the film is not for you.
I know very little about the music in the Producers, although like most people I recognised 'I Want to Be a Producer'. This did make the film a little less enjoyable - I think most of the attraction of Mamma Mia was that I recognised and could sing along with all of the songs, whereas here, I could but listen. It obviously is well-written though and I was impressed enough to want to see the stage production so that I can listen to it again. And I can't deny that the choreography was fantastic - one scene that particularly stood out was a series of identically dressed grannies dancing with their zimmer frames - this was hugely enjoyable. As was a scene in Leo's office when he sings 'I Want to Be a Producer'.
On to the negatives. I didn't find the story all that appealing. The more human elements were good - the blooming relationship between Leo and Ulla for example - but the idea of putting on a stage play doomed to failure and pocketing the money didn't really do all that much to draw me in. I didn't exactly get bored, but there were certainly times when I considered switching on to something else. And it was too much like a stage play for my liking. I know the play was amazingly successful, and so can understand director Susan Stroman's desire to replicate that success, but I really think that if people are going to the effort to make a film of a stage play/musical, then it has to have its own identity, or there is no point. Possibly Mel Brooks, who wrote the music, lyrics and words for the original film, the stage version and this film, put pressure on Stroman to ensure that this film was as similar to the original as possible - I don't know. Whatever, this was ultimately the film's downfall for me.
I didn't dislike the film; I just didn't think it was all that brilliant either. It has, though, encouraged me to go to see the stage version or possibly the original film, so I suppose that as a trailer, it does have a purpose. However, I think a lot less money could have been spent to make a much shorter trailer...I suspect that, if you are already familiar with the songs and/or love musicals, you will probably enjoy this. If you are watching it as a stand-alone, you will probably find it all a bit too theatrical. Recommended, but with reservations.
The DVD is available from play.com for £5, including delivery.
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
The film-of-the-musical-of-the-film,The Producersunites the hit Broadway pairing of Nathan ... more
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 succe...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The film-of-the-musical-of-the-film,The Producersunites the hit Broadway pairing of Nathan ... more
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 succe...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Bringing the Tony Award Winning musical on to the big screen. New York 1959. Max ... more
Bialystock was once the king of Broadway but now all his shows close on opening night. Things turn around when he's visited by the neurotic accountant Leo Bloom who pr...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Great song and dance routines and a marvellous central performance from Lane Disadvantages: A touch too stagey and a less endearing turn from Broderick
afy9mab 22.04.2006 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Producers (DVD)
![The Producers [DVD] [2005]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78500850.jpg "The Producers [DVD] [2005]")
![The Producers (1 Disc Edition) [DVD] [1968]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78473781.jpg "The Producers (1 Disc Edition) [DVD] [1968]")
Sep 12th, 2008
(Sep 13th, 2008)
very helpful by (100%):
