Average Rating: 
Rating: - Come In Mr. Tact!
The first 20 minutes of The Producers when Leo Bloom meets Max Bialystock are hands-down the funniest 20 minutes ever put on film. I don't know how many times I've seen it but it never fails to make me laugh out loud.From "I'm sorry I caught you with the little old lady" to "I'm wet, I'm in pain, and I'm still hysterical" the jokes fly furiously fast. Zero Mostel was a wonderful comic and is ably matched by a young Gene Wilder. No one does excess like Mostel and no one ever did hysteria like Wilder. I love the asides and non-sequiters ("Ooo, I fell on my keys"} as well. And that is just the beginning. There is so much more to go and so much of it is very, very funny. My personal favorite is Kenneth Mar's unrepentant, crazily loyal, off-center, pigeon- decorated-helmet wearing Hans. Ken Mars is a brilliant comic actor and his demented Nazi playwright with the nearly indecipherable accent (which he and Brooks made fun of in Young Frankenstein) and his loser's raveoffs about Churchill etc. is a piece of work. Many people liked Dick Shawn's work as LSD, but I found it wanting originally and it has not improved with time. But, there is lots of other stuff to like in the movie. But for me, it is Zero, Gene and Ken. When those 3 guys are on this is as funny as it gets. A Classic American comedy. DVD sometime soon please.
Rating: - Satire at its Finest
"The Producers" ranks as the best of Mel Brooks' best films due to its scathing screenplay, great comedic performances and unmatched direction. Gene Wilder, later immortalized in Brooks'"Young Frankenstein" and "Blazing Saddles" earned an Oscar nod while Zero Mostel proves why he once ruled Broadway. Fans of the stage musical - a zany laughfest far lighter than the film - should be prepared to listen carefully for smart one-liners and generational references in a script that's chock-full of smart observations about society, and its roots in both good and evil. While the story is essentially the same in both mediums, and while "Springtime for Hitler" will be familiar, the arsenal of comedic genius on display in the movie serves as a distinct point of difference, not better or worse, but far more insuinating and sardonic. Brooks won a much-deserved Oscar for his original script, which remains to this day a lynchpin of screenwriting study. Finally on DVD, "The Producers" - the original comedic gem of a movie - deserves a place of honor in your DVD collection and remains one of the best films of all time.
Rating: - Mel Brooks', "The Producers"
This is arguably the best comedy ever made. Zero Mostel is a comic genius and it is evident from the opening credits. As Zero's alter ego, Max Bialystock, a Broadway producer who has fallen on hard times and in order to live, cons elderly women, in a truly charming and hysterical manner, into supporting him. At the same time, he fulfills some of their fantasies and there is a certain value these women recieve for their investment. It is all clean and quite funny and side-splittingly funny.A young Gene Wilder is priceless as the naive milquetoast, accountant Leo Bloom, who is brought out of his shell by Zero Mostel's charachter. Upon encountering an accounting error, Bloom informs Bialystock that a producer could make more money from a flop than a hit. The two begin a journey of non-stop hilarity in their pursuit of, as Max puts it, "wine, women and song -- and women!" The cast is brilliant. Estelle Winwood as one of Max's investors is absolutely priceless. Lee Meredith is absolutely sensual, yet very funny, as the partners new receptionist. Christopher Hewitt and Andreas Voutsinas, respectively, as director, Roger and his assistant, Carmengia will provide side-splitting laughs. Kenneth Mars' charachter as the author of the play, "Springtime for Hitler; A Gay Romp of Adolph and Eva in Berchtesgaden," Bialystock and Bloom produce on Broadway is the funniest thing I've ever seen. Dick Shawn as flower child, L.S.D. is wonderful. We also see a young William Hickey in a small role as a good-natured inebriate celebrating with Max and Leo. I cannot recommend this film enough to you. There is a reason this is now the hottest play on Broadway -- it's absolutely wonderful; the laughs are non-stop and just when you think the film has reached a comic zenith, you will become pleasantly surprised. On behalf of any fan of this film, I'd like to thank Mel Brooks for sharing his gift.
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