Friday Night In: ‘The Producers’
Posted by kittson on 05 Jan 2007 at 3:59 pm | Tagged as: Movies, Review, Friday Night In
For all you folks out there who couldn’t afford the $500 ticket to see the Broadway show, this Friday night I give you the movie version of The Producers. A movie based on a play based on a movie, it’s the story of two Broadway producers (yes, there’s navel gazing here), Max Biolystock (Nathan Lane) and Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick), who discover it may be possible to make more money on a flop than a success and set out to present the worse play ever.
While the recent trend of movie musicals (Chicago, Rent, Dreamgirls) has been to completely re-interpret them for the screen, director/choreographer Susan Stroman (who also directed and choreographed the stage version) has chosen to simply recreate her musical on film. Thus the experience of watching the movie is very similar to watching the play (minus having the big stars right there in front of you and without the risk of someone falling off the stage).
Unfortunately some of the comedy doesn’t translate very well. For instance, the chaotic opening scene in which Biolystock meets Bloom seems manic and unreal. Still, you quickly become accustomed to the unusually high energy and rapid delivery and are able to fully appreciate the exceptional talent of the two stars. Nathan Lane, like Jerry Lewis and Woody Allen, is always himself, and that’s always wonderful. Gay, straight, or meerkat, he’s a small, round man with a nasally voice who can deliver a song like Liza Minelli. Alone in my pajamas, I found myself clapping after the rousing “Betrayed”. Matthew Broderick, on the other hand, is delightful in a role unlike any he’s played on screen: winy, neurotic, innocent, yet charming (we do get a couple of Ferris Bueller grins toward the end).
There are a few differences between the play and the movie. The most important is the inspired addition of the consistently funny Will Ferrell as Hitler-devotee Franz Liebkind. The second addition (something David Letterman might like) is Uma Thurman as Ulla. She certainly looks the part of a Swedish aspiring actress, but she’s completely awkward throughout her numerous dance numbers.
The Producers is not a great film. However, it’s enjoyable, and it gives everyone an opportunity to see what was once the hottest ticket on Broadway while spending Friday night in.
The Producers airs tonight at 8pm Eastern time on HBO Comedy and is available on HBO On Demand until January 28.
