Overrated and overacted.

Rating: 5/10 (11 June 2017)

Theatrical producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), assisted by timid accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), deliberately oversell shares for Springtime for Hitler, a show that they have no intention of making a success. Unfortunately for Bialystock and Bloom, the musical is a massive hit, meaning that they now owe the financiers 25,000% of the profits.
A lot of people seem to revere director Mel Brooks as some kind of comedy genius, but on the basis of what I have seen (Young Frankenstein, The History of the World: Pt I, and now this) I have to disagree. Yes, he has his moments, but the films as a whole are more miss than hit. The plot for The Producers is ingenious enough, but the whole affair has a theatricality that makes it seem more suited to the stage than screen, while the gags are extremely laboured, the performers overcompensating for the lack of genuine laughs by wildly overacting.
I admit to giggling at Dick Shawn singing his hippy rock song Love Power, the extravagant Springtime for Hitler musical number is fun, and Lee Meredith is a delight as sexy Swedish secretary Ulla, but once again, I find Brooks' work to be highly overrated.