I wanna be a Producer

Rating: 10/10 (19 August 2001)

One of the most clever films ever made. No need for political correctness, the film that is now the King of Broadway relies on solid linear storytelling, ingenious characters and fun dialogue. Brooks' work here is not that of the broad satire found in "Blazing Saddles", "Young Frankenstein" and "Spaceballs" but rather inahbits an environment that is just realistic enough that one starts to wonder if Biyalstock and Bloom's scheme could indeed work, that their reality is that of our own. Indeed, Brooks has admitted that Max Biyalstock was based on a real producer he knew at a young age. And what a character to know. Zero Mostel gives one of his most charming and yet at the same time sleazy performances. You love this character, his manic obsessiveness coupled with Gene Wilder's Bloom's anatagonizing over everything makes for an incredibly enjoyable on-screen duo. But it's not just the dialogue and great songs (if you want more go, if you can, to the outstandingly, mind-numbingly great musical), or wild characters but it's the little things that set this film high above shlock like the "Brady Bunch" movie. For me this means the genuinely charming moments where Bloom decides he'll "do it" and water shoots from the fountain behind him as he will now be free of his accounting job. When he realizes he's having fun in the park with Max also always brings a smile to my face. Lastly my big laugh out loud momet is right at the start of the film, as Max lunges for Lick Me, Bite Me only to make a grand fallthrough a table. Standard for a comedy I know, but Mostel's reaction is just so perfect that one can't help but laugh. If you thought fallling through tables was the domain of Chris Farley your wrong. Haben sie gehort das deutchen band.