The Producers

The movie version of Mel Brooks' smash-hit musical based on his 1968 film is so stage-bound that you can almost hear the boards creaking beneath the performers as they do their shtick. In fact, director Susan Stroman (the stage production's original director-choreographer) delivers about as complete a duplication of a Broadway show as the screen has ever witnessed, with much of the original cast intact (including stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick). The plot—about a shyster producer (Lane) who drags a neurotically uptight accountant (Broderick) into a scheme to make millions by over-financing a preplanned flop centered around a musical tribute to Hitler—is musty, too, and the absurdly reverential treatment here seems out of place for Brooks' gags, which are essentially revivified vaudeville turns. The new material, especially the instantly forgettable songs, is even worse, and a miscast Uma Thurman and the irritating Will Ferrell in supporting roles don't help. In fact, The Producers comes across as so forced and frenetic that the show's record-setting Tony victories in 2001 might be seen as proof of the demise of the Broadway musical rather than its rebirth. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Susan Stroman, eight deleted scenes (20 min.), the 16-minute “Analysis of a Scene: I Wanna Be a Producer” featurette, 15 minutes of outtakes, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing stage-to-screen transfer.] (F. Swietek)