Somewhat dated but still hilarious

Rating: 6/10 (27 July 2012)

Winner of the Academy Award for the best original screenplay, this comedy has become somewhat dated from the time of its release. However, the originality of the idea is hilarious and startling. An accountant and a producer decide to play the ultimate con on the Internal Revenue Service by taking huge amounts of money from their financiers and investing it into a certified flop. They go to great lengths finding the perfect script which will translate into a play which will last for only one show. The script, a musical about Nazi Germany and Hitler, written by a mentally unbalanced writer is found. The director who has the distinction of being the worst director in the world is selected. An actor who has come for the wrong audition is selected as Adolf Hitler and the play is shown on Broadway. Written and directed by the comic genius Mel Brooks, the movie starts a bit slowly and then picks up pace after Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder join hands. The movie belongs to Mostel who is excellent as the producer who frauds old women for love and takes money for them. Gene Wilder, in one of his early roles, is a bit over the top. Dick Shawn as LSD, the actor who plays Hitler, is amazingly funny. The songs are good. However, i found the humor to be a bit forced at some moments. The movie is still pretty decent fun. But it was definitely not the laugh riot i thought it would be.