The Producers (Widescreen Edition)
starring Nathan Lane, Matthew
Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell,
Gary Beach
Metaphors And Dreams
The trend is to convert movies into stage musicals, but The Producers
goes a step further: making a feature film of the smash-hit stage musical
that was adapted from the 1968 film. The chief drawing card, of course, is
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprising their roles from the stage.
Lane plays Max Bialystock, a legendary Broadway producer who hasnt
had a hit show in a long time. Enter nebbish accountant Leo Bloom
(Broderick), who tells Bialystock he could actually make more money with
a flop than a hit. So the two set out to produce the worst Broadway musical
of all time, one guaranteed to close on opening night, with the collaboration
of an outrageous cast of characters: Will Ferrell as sieg heil-ing author
Franz Liebkind, Uma Thurman as Swedish bombshell Ulla, Gary Beach as
director Roger De Bris, and Roger Bart as his assistant, Carmen Ghia,
among others. As directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman (who
did the same honors on Broadway) and co-written by Mel Brooks, The
Producers is laugh-out-loud funny. Its also a relentlessly over-the-top,
shamelessly bawdy, stereotype-ridden comedy that may turn off its
audience just as much as its centerpiece, Springtime for Hitler, was
intended to. But Broadway fans who are used to larger-than-life figures
who play to the back row while showering the first row with spit, are likely
to forgive and just enjoy the famous granny-walker dance, a supporting
cast dotted with Broadway performers (playing a taxi driver is Brad Oscar,
who originated the role of Liebkind on Broadway then later played
Bialystock), or the mere spectacle of seeing Lane and Broderick
memorializing the performances that millions never got a ticket to see. (For
maximum laughs, stick around through the closing credits.) --David
Horiuchi
This movie is not only funny, but great fun. It can be enjoyed on the
surface as a comedy or musical. Or, one can delve deeper and look at
Max Bialystock as a metaphor of desire and frustration. One HAS to watch
the unfortunately-deleted King of Broadway in the deleted scenes. This
shows Max as a deposed king trying to gain back former glory, rather than
a simple wannabe. This scene is a reprise/sendup of Fiddler, complete
with Jewish lament and incredibly energetic street dancing. Only then do
we understand Maxes plight, and his striving to get back. Nathan Lane is
brilliant and hold center stage no matter who else is there, but Matthew
Broderick is a great straight man, Uma Thurman is dazzling, Roger Bart is
hilarious. The story is not only fun, but all of us can share the aspiration to
a dream.
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