The Producers (2005)

I understand that after the success of Broadway-Hollywood crossovers like Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King, a lot of people have the motivation to move classics from one format to another, but just because this worked well for once or twice in the past does not mean it will work for every production in existence. In The Producers, Max Bialystock teams up with a timid accountant, Leo Bloom, to try to create Broadway shows that intentionally lose money. I can see where this would be a pretty enjoyable live show, but as a movie, The Producers is pretty much a waste of time. The cast sounds like it would be impressive, headlined by Nathan Lane as Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Bloom. Under most circumstances, I do not have any serious problems with either of these actors. However, they were the leads in the original Broadway production of The Producers and play their parts in the movie as though they were still on stage. Both men keep making over-exaggerated, goofy-idiot faces and winking at the audience, which works in live theater, but is absolutely unnecessary on film. Also, and this is not entirely fair, if you are a fan of the show Curb Your Enthusiasm, it is very disappointing to see Nathan Lane walk out when you feel like you should be seeing Larry David. The films actual producers try to fill out the rest of the cast with A-listers Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman, who are at least a little more enjoyable to watch, but are not really right for the roles. There are some musicals that translate well to the big screen, like Phantom, but these are few and far between. Having seen several crappy film versions of live stage shows that I enjoy, I am of the opinion that this conversion should generally be avoided. I have never seen The Producers live, and after watching the movie, I am hesitant, but I imagine that I would enjoy it. Part of me wonders if it would have been better to remake the storyline, rather than cut the Broadway production word-for-word onto film. If someone had rewritten the script of The Producers, made it a comedy with no music and planned it specifically as a Hollywood farce, I imagine it could have been moderately enjoyable. That said, there is some decent music in the film, and as it is, that is its only redeeming quality. My wife did not watch this movie with me, and I would never recommend it to her or anyone. I will make no judgements on the live show, but this movie was pretty bad. I generously give The Producers 2 stars.