Mel Brooks' Latest DVD Version of "The Producers" is Hilarious

Having never been to New York City or Broadway, I was seeing this movie with no prior knowledge of the plot or characters. It sounded silly, and I thought it might be funny, but had to see it to make sure. Mel Brooks has put out some memorable movies in the past, such as "Young Frankenstein" so I knew it would be well done.

The casting for this movie was excellent. Matthew Broderick plays the nerdy accountant, Leo Bloom. I remember Broderick from long ago, playing Ferris Bueller, so it was fun to see him play another comedic role. But, to my surprise, he is a talented singer and dancer. The guy can dance like
Fred Astaire! I was floored. Add in the unbeatable talent of Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock, who is always a scream in any role he plays, and the two make an unbeatable team. They balanced one another's timing perfectly, with a wide range of funny facial expressions and physical comedy. Uma Thurman played Ulla to the hilt. She was elegant, and was the correct choice for the role of a Swedish woman since I read somewhere that she really is of Swedish descent herself. The talented Gary Beach and Roger Bart make the play with their over-the-top, flamboyant characters. All these actors must've had a lot of fun putting this movie together, it had to be one big laugh-fest.

The plot to the movie is simple, Bialystock and Bloom try to create a Broadway flop, to benefit financially from it more than if they had a hit. They choose the worst play they can find to promote, and the plot unfolds from there. The author of the play is played by the talented funnyman, Will Farrell from Saturday Night Live. His timing and fake German accent make everything he says hysterical. The play, "Springtime for Hitler" is supposed to offend anyone that sees it, but the plot backfires. The main tenor in the fake play is John Barrowman, who has an amazing voice. I never thought I'd be watching a parody of Hitler and Eva Braun in a comedy/musical, but here it was and was it ever funny.

Everything associated with this play is stunning; the music, sets, actors, costumes and comedy writing. Throughout the movie, the music was very catchy, so I ran out and bought the CD, which is fantastic. The jokes keep coming, one after another. I laughed so hard, my lungs hurt. If you want to forget your troubles, hear some great foot tapping show tunes, rent or buy this movie. Mel Brooks won't steer you wrong, he knocked the ball out of the ballpark with this one.