The Producers (2006)

Starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick

The Producers (2006) is a funny slapstick of a musical that delights in the tremendous talents of Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane.

Ostensibly it’s about a sleazy Broadway producer (Lane) who seduces old ladies into giving him their money in order to produce questionable Broadway shows. He is joined by a timid accountant (Broderick) who figures out a way for them to make a fortune by producing a show that is sure to fail. They choose a sure-fire stinker called Springtime for Hitler, and the fun begins.

Just like the show that’s supposed to flop, the movie succeeds in a strange kind of way to become an entertaining, enjoyable spectacle. The innate sweetness of Broderick and the witty charm of Lane carry us along in spite of the questionable things they’re doing.

Just like some Broadway musicals, the book (the plot of the movie) is a thin tissue of ideas connected together with just enough conviction that we don’t mind that we’re being scammed, as long as we hear another of the show’s lovely songs.

This film is based on the recent Broadway musical by Mel Brooks, which in turn was based on Brook’s 1968 movie The Producers. He wrote new songs for the Broadway show, which are added in to this movie version. You can see flashes of the magic performance by Gene Wilder in Broderick’s characterization of Leo Bloom, while Lane does well reprising the Max Bialystock character immortalized by Zero Mostel’s adept performance. These are different performances in a different film, but fans of the original film may keep their loyalty to the original.

If you love musicals you should see this film. Fans of Mel Brooks will not be disappointed. Brooks also who wrote all of the show’s songs. (Advice if you go: be sure to sit through the credits; there’s a musical reward for you at their end.)