Good but not good enough (The Producers)

Member Name: Walshy_walshy

Product:	The Producers
Date:	26/05/09 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The songs and Will Farrell's casting as the Nazi!

Disadvantages: The lack of... 'Ooomph' if that makes sense.

The film-of-the-musical-of-the-film, The Producers unites the hit Broadway pairing of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, drafts in Uma Thurman, and somewhere along the way loses half the fun that made the original movie and the Broadway show such a success, mainly through the lazy writing and lack of real chemistry between the leads.
While there's undoubtedly some kitsch fun to be had watching this, and Lane and Broderick are clearly have a great time in their roles, there are a couple of key problems with The Producers. Firstly, and most crucially, is the staid direction. This very much feels like a camera was placed in front of a stage, and it hurts the film a lot. Secondly, the wonderful energy of the Broadway musical is lost through lack of energy being shown on the camera. I'm a big fan of the stage version and this doesn't pair up.
And yet there are winning moments, some good laughs, and a gentle couple of hours of entertainment. Yet the key attraction is clearly a chance for the majority who never got to see Lane and Broderick treading the boards in their acclaimed performances before, and for many, that rightly justifies the asking price. You just can't help wishing the film around them was a little better, though. Even the songs, which usually save a film like this didn't help. Maybe I was expecting too much, or not enough, I don't know.

It's one DVD that's staying in my collection until the next car boot sale.

Summary: Good but not great re-make