Fans of Brooks won't be disappointed

Rating: 8/10 (5 July 2007)

Mel Brooks is definitely a force to be reckoned with in 1968's comedy The Producers. The acclaimed director and writer leaves his mark on this film with witty one-liners, outrageous songs, and oddball characters. The opening scene, Zero Mostel's character flirting with an eighty-year old woman for money, may leave the viewer in a state of strange wonder, but the film soon turns the confusion to humor when an accountant (Wilder) sets up a scheme with Mostel's has-been Broadway producer to make a theatrical flop in order to scam the IRS and the play's investors out of millions of dollars.
What results is a play praising Hitler (Springtime for Hitler) written by a Nazi (Mars) with an obsession for pigeons and bad-mouthing Winston Churchill, directed by a gay man who wears dresses in his spare time, and starring a lovable yet tone-deaf young man representing the "Free Love" ideal of the sixties. Much of the humor is supplied by the character L.S.D. (Shawn), whose portrayal of the leader of the Third Reich ensures the play's success, much to the dismay of the producers.
My only complaints about the movie are that the funny moments could have been funnier by Brooks' standards, and that Gene Wilder's face seemed to be frozen in one expression, regardless of whether his character was embarrassed, hysterical, or happy. But overall, The Producers is a showcase of how many ways and times an audience can laugh at both Hitler and Broadway in a mere ninety minutes. If for nothing else, the film is worth at least one viewing simply for the play it centers on, and Dick Shawn's performance, which is reminiscent of the early works and stand-up routines of Robin Williams.