Mel Brook's first hysterical film.

Rating: 8/10 (11 June 2006)

The Producers tells the story of Max Bialystock, a Broadway producer who has had some really bad flops lately. A public accountant named Leo Bloom arrives to do Max's books one day, and he discovers that a producer can make more money with a flop then he can with a hit. Upon hearing this, Bialystock teams up with Bloom to find the worst play ever written, the worst director in town, and the worst cast around. When their surefire flop becomes a huge success, they suddenly find themselves in more trouble than they can handle. The Producers is Mel Brooks' first film, and it shot him straight to stardom due to its laugh out loud humour.
Mel Brooks hasn't done a whole ton of movies in his time, but the ones he has done have all been hysterically funny. Mel Brooks has a great brain in his head. He knows how to write a good parody, but he also can write great original material. This is an example of his originality. Brooks' satire on the show business profession can bring tears to your eyes in some scenes. The entire plot and the tongue in cheek style of the film makes the movie all around hilarious. The funniest scenes are the ones involving Leo Bloom, played perfectly by Gene Wilder, who is so cowardly and nervous that he's thrown into hysterics when someone even looks angry.
The acting is really good. Gene Wilder does an amazingly good job in one of his first film roles. He's so funny in this movie that it makes you want to go out and see his other films, just because you know it will be funny. Zero Mostel is funny as Max Bialystock, even though he falls second to Gene Wilder. The other acting job I really enjoyed was Dick Shawn as Lorenzo St. Dubois, or LSD. He plays the funniest hippie I've ever seen on film.
The Producers is one of those classic comedies that makes you laugh every time. Great movie.
8/10