If ever a film had “sure-fire hit”
written all over it, it would be Susan Stroman’s big-screen
adaptation of her Broadway smash The Producers. After all, the musical itself was based on the Mel Brooks
comedy classic, released in 1968, and stars Nathan Lane and Matthew
Broderick in the roles that made them the toast of the Great White Way.
Throw Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman into the mix, and there’s no way
this film could go wrong. And yet something does go horribly awry. Something is
lost in this retranslation. What once was a quick, witty, sharp-edged
comedy is now a slow, dull, bloated movie that winds up being a labor
instead of a delight. Although many of the jokes still work, thanks in
large part to the work of Lane as crooked Broadway producer Max Bialystock
and Broderick as easily panicked accountant Leo Bloom, the songs wind up
bringing the film to a screeching halt whenever anyone starts to warble. As
they set out to put on the world’s worst play, Springtime for Hitler, with the goal
of producing a disaster that will close after one performance, the film
bounds from one joyous moment to the next. And then disaster strikes. Broderick’s first
solo number, “I Want to Be a Producer,” launches a series of
song-and-dance numbers that are far too long and repetitious. Every
supporting character is given a chance to shine, and — with the
exception of Uma Thurman, who truly does rise to the occasion as the sexpot
Ulla in her vamping “If You’ve Got it, Flaunt it” —
every other performer falls victim to the biggest pitfall of movies of this
sort. Each and every one, from Will Ferrell as the mad Nazi author Franz
Liebkind to Gary Beach as the eccentric director Roger De Bris, tries to be
as large as this oversized production and succeeds only in falling flat. Most of the blame rests with Stroman, who makes a
grave miscalculation by adhering to the Broadway sensibility that made the
play a hit. Grand, show-stopping numbers are expected in that medium, lest
the audience think they’re not getting their money’s worth.
Movie musicals have their fair share of elaborate song-and-dance routines,
but the good ones energize the films they’re in. Here, they weigh the
production down like a millstone. In movies, less is always more, a concept
that many modern filmmakers fail to understand — and Stroman is no
exception. Fun with Dick and Jane [PG-13] A comedy about a husband and
wife duo that commits robberies to afford their well-heeled lifestyle in
the suburbs. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
The Ringer [R] A slapstick comedy featuring
jackass Johnny Knoxville as a ringer thrown into the Special Olympics game
to hopefully win and pay off a debt. ShowPlace
West
Rumor Has It [PG-13]
Sarah learns a little too much about her family when she finds out they may
be the inspiration for Charles Webb’s The
Graduate. ShowPlace
West, ShowPlace East
Wolf Creek [R] Three
travelers find more than just a friendly hand when they accept help from a
local Australian on their dangerous road trip. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
This article appears in Dec 29, 2005 – Jan 4, 2006.
