Laugh-Out-Loud Funny Stuff

Rating: 9/10 (12 September 2000)

How can a Broadway producer who has seen his day really make a lot of money? Leave it to writer/director Mel Brooks to answer that, and answer it he does in the uproarious comedy `The Producers.' Zero Mostel stars as the producer in question, one Max Bialystock, with Gene Wilder co-starring as Leo Bloom, the meek accountant who steers Max onto the path to instant riches with a scheme that (in Max's hands) simply can't fail. With Leo on board as his new partner, Max embarks upon a search for the perfect script, the first step of the plan that will lead them to the pot of gold at the end of the Great White Way. And with Brooks at the helm, it's the beginning of a laugh-filled movie that gets funnier every time you see it.	Mostel is perfect as the unflappable Max, the charlatan who woos a string of old ladies into becoming investors in his show; his personality and countenance match the broad approach Brooks takes with his comedy, and it's a fit made in comedic heaven. Wilder, however, nearly steals the show with his terrific, definitive `long' takes and sideward glances that have served him so well during his career. Here, in one of his first screen appearances, he works it perfectly, creating just the right counter-balance to Mostel's boldness, and it makes Leo a truly memorable character. Visually, there is enough in this film to generate plenty of laughs, but that it's delivered with wonderfully witty and clever dialogue as well (the screenplay earned Brooks an Oscar), makes it a true classic in anybody's book.	Also unforgettable here are Kenneth Mars, as Franz Liebkind, author of the play that Max and Leo undertake to produce; Christopher Hewett, as Roger De Bris; and especially Dick Shawn, as Lorenzo Saint DuBois (`L.S.D.' to his friends), who becomes the star of Max and Leo's production. Rounding out the great supporting cast are Estelle Winwood (`Hold me, touch me' old lady), Lee Meredith (Ulla), Renee Taylor (Eva Braun), Andreas Voutsinas (Carmen Giya), and William Hickey (Good Natured Inebriate).	`The Producers' is every bit as funny now as when it debuted in 1968, maybe even funnier; it proves that good comedy is timeless, and this is comedy at it's best. This is a must-see, not only for Mel Brooks' fans, but for anyone who just likes lots of good laughs. Believe me, this is one funny movie you're going to want to see again and again. I rate this one 9/10.