The Producers

I don't watch a lot of non-Disney, non-animated musicals. I don't know why, I've just never had the desire to see one. The Producers somehow managed to catch my eye and I found it to be an incredible outing. The movie is an adaption of a Broadway show that was, in turn, an adaption of 60's movie, which also in turn, this movie also acts as remake of. For those unfamiliar with the story, Max Bialystock is a low-budget musical producer, who funds his failures with checks collected by romancing old ladies. His schemes grow grander when he meets accountant Leo Bloom, who pays a visit to check out Bialystock's books on behalf of his firm. Noting that a bad play doesn't have to pay out on investments, Bloom gives the producer the idea to collect a large amount to put on an awful musical that will close instantaneously, leaving him with a large profit.

The movie feels like a throwback to an older generation of studio musicals as opposed to the bits and pieces I've seen of the Rent and Moulin Rouge movies. The movie's shot in a very straightforward manner that works with the story to achieve a very specific sense of time and place. The casting is also solid with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick making the jump from the Broadway show to the film in the lead roles of Max and Leo. The chemistry and interactions between them feel strong and real, mostly coming from the years they've spent playing the characters. Most of the supporting cast from the stage show also reprise their roles here. I didn't know who Gary Beach and Roger Bart were, but now I think I might need to search out some more of their films as they're hilarious as the gay duo of Roger De Bris and Carmen. From what I've been told (and its kinda of apparent) the only two characters who have new actors in their roles are Ulla and Franz Liebkind, who are now played by Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell. Its clearly just a case of wanting to have big name stars attached to this movie, but it works out just fine. Both Uma and Will seemed to have a lot of fun with parts and to surprise but of them cloud sing pretty well.

The musical numbers are a treat, making most of the scenes funnier and just more enjoyable. The songs are catchy and the cast preforms them with great skill and their personalities really help make the songs memorable. I have would have to say that my favorite songs were the ridiculous "Keep it Gay", mainly just for the "interesting" costumes used during that one, Ulla's "When You've Got It, Flaunt It" which has great lyrics and showcased Uma Thurman's singing abilities, and "Springtime for Hitler" which is just completely absurd and hilarious. This movie was a nice surprise to me. It's funny, has great casting and music and should be be seen by anyone who enjoys good comedy and music.