Barnes & Noble

This movie version of a celebrated Broadway musical -- itself adapted by Mel Brooks from his revered 1968 feature film -- arrives on screen shouldering impossible expectations. Fortunately, The Producers is a hilarious romp, thanks in large part to the inspired teaming of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, the twosome who made the original Broadway production shine. Lane portrays the larger-than-life but down-at-the-heels Broadway impresario Max Bialystock, who raises money for his shows by romancing wealthy old widows. Broderick is Leo Bloom, the timid, neurotic accountant who conjures up a plan to make a fortune by producing a guaranteed flop. The ensuing Bloom-Bialystock partnership conjures up what has to be a surefire disaster: the musical comedy Springtime for Hitler. Through uproarious interpretations of their own, Lane and Broderick are able to reinvent beloved characters firmly etched by Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder in the original film. Also reprising their stage roles are Gary Beach (as the flamboyant director Roger DeBris) and Roger Bart (as his "common law " assistant Carmen Ghia). Film stars Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell take key supporting roles; the ever-game Thurman reveals heretofore unsuspected musical talent as the sexy Swedish secretary Ulla. Director Susan Stroman, the mastermind behind the stage version, follows the Brooks script closely, opening it up just slightly by using authentic New York City locations as backdrops for a few of the over-the-top musical numbers. Overcoming the burden of comparison to the earlier versions, the new Producers succeeds firmly on its own merits. And with the DVD release, we now have the permanent pleasure of Lane's and Broderick's dazzling performances. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

After transforming his first motion picture into a smash Broadway musical, Mel Brooks brings the story of two would-be theatrical moguls turned con men back to the screen in this musical comedy. Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) was once one of Broadway's most successful producers, but a string of flops has thrown his career into a tailspin, and now he struggles to raise the cash to stage new shows by playing gigolo to lonely old ladies. While going over his books, accountant Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) notices that Bialystock raised more money than he spent for one show, and points out that if one raised enough money for a show that closed in one night, you could make more off a flop than a hit. This strikes Bialystock as a brilliant scheme, and he decides to give it a try, persuading Bloom to join him in staging the world's greatest flop. After discovering a truly vile script -- "Springtime for Hitler," a musical set in the Third Reich written by neo-Nazi pigeon fancier Franz Liebkind (Will Ferrell) -- and giving a key role to the secretary Ulla (Uma Thurman), a drop-dead gorgeous blonde with only a tenuous understanding of the English language, Bialystock and Bloom are certain they have the disaster they need for their plan to work. But the scheme unexpectedly goes wrong when "Springtime for Hitler" becomes a "so bad it's good" hit. Mel Brooks co-wrote the screenplay for The Producers as well as producing it, but directorial chores were handed over to Susan Stroman, who also directed the Broadway show; Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick also repeated their roles from the Broadway production. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 025192041983
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Time: 2:09:00
• Sales Rank: 20,157