Let me just preface this review by saying that I love Mel Brooks, and the original 1968 movie version of The Producers is excellent. It is one of my all-time favorite movies, because it has such wonderfully ridiculous characters, and the premise is just so out-there that it's hilarious! I also love the stage version of The Producers, which I was privileged to see in NYC with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane (in previews, no less!). It is, by far, the funniest thing I've ever seen on the stage. So I had pretty high expectations for this movie. For the most part, I was not disappointed.
Let's start with the one problem I had: it started off very slowly. It seemed that they were trying too hard to make the first scene (in Bialystock's office) faithful to the original movie, which was a mistake because it invited unwelcome comparisons. (Sorry, Matthew; on screen, you're no match for Gene Wilder.)
Pretty much everything afterward is great, though. I was pleasantly surprised by Uma Thurman as Ulla, especially considering what a huge departure this is from her usual roles. The rest of the cast was hilarious, and they all worked well together to make this movie a great experience. (I know that some might be ready to stone me for saying this, but I actually think that Lane and Broderick have better chemistry as Max and Leo than Mostel and Wilder did.) The musical numbers were also very well done, and I think that they benefited from the more "stagy" direction that a lot of people (especially the critics!) seem to have a problem with. It's almost old-fashioned, which is more true to the kind of musical that The Producers is.
So, basically, despite a slow start, The Producers is one of the funniest movie musicals I've ever seen. Though not quite a masterpiece like its 1968 predecessor, it makes for a wonderfully entertaining movie experience.
Let's start with the one problem I had: it started off very slowly. It seemed that they were trying too hard to make the first scene (in Bialystock's office) faithful to the original movie, which was a mistake because it invited unwelcome comparisons. (Sorry, Matthew; on screen, you're no match for Gene Wilder.)
Pretty much everything afterward is great, though. I was pleasantly surprised by Uma Thurman as Ulla, especially considering what a huge departure this is from her usual roles. The rest of the cast was hilarious, and they all worked well together to make this movie a great experience. (I know that some might be ready to stone me for saying this, but I actually think that Lane and Broderick have better chemistry as Max and Leo than Mostel and Wilder did.) The musical numbers were also very well done, and I think that they benefited from the more "stagy" direction that a lot of people (especially the critics!) seem to have a problem with. It's almost old-fashioned, which is more true to the kind of musical that The Producers is.
So, basically, despite a slow start, The Producers is one of the funniest movie musicals I've ever seen. Though not quite a masterpiece like its 1968 predecessor, it makes for a wonderfully entertaining movie experience.