Plot: What’s it about?
Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) was a hit maker, a man who take any production to the top of Broadway and make audiences turn out in droves. His shows were always sold out and not only did the people love them, but the critics praised his work as well. But that was in the past. He still puts on his productions, but times have been tough and he has seen a lot of empty seats. His recent productions have been failures and some have such short runs, they don’t even get a second night. Max is desperate to raise cash for his new projects, to the extent that he has engaged in some rather lurid activities with old widows. But when an accountant is brought in to look over his finances, a ray of hope shines in. The accountant is Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) and he crunches the numbers, he discovers that one of the productions had an odd budget. Although it was a total flop, it still managed to cost less to make than Max was able to raise. Leo suggests that under the right circumstances, a failed production could turn more profit than a hit. No sooner are the words spoken than Max envisions the biggest flop in Broadway’s history, with the worst writing, actors, and director he can find. But when things don’t go as planned, will Max be able to figure where he went right?
A movie about a stage play, which was made into a stage play about a movie about a stage play. Only from the mind of Mel Brooks, right? His 1968 film The Producers is the source for a smash success Broadway production, only decades after it was released. Then the white hot stage production leads to this filmed remake, complete with some of the stage production’s stars. The original The Producers is a comedy classic, but as much as this remake tries to replicate that success, it falls short. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are solid workers and were very popular in the stage production, but don’t capture the same as the original players. Then again, how many duos could match Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel, right? The original sported an ideal cast, with even small roles cast to perfection, whereas this remake doesn’t continue that tradition. Even so, the material is great as expected and a lot of the jokes still work. Will Ferrell injects some fresh presence that helps us forget it is a remake, but the fact still remains, this is a remake. And in the end, I’d rather recommend the original The Producers, as it is superior to this remake in all aspects. If you’re the kind of person who only watches new movies though, you could do worse that this new take on The Producers.
Video: How does it look?
The Producers is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is one heck of a visual presentation, although a few small problems keep it from the perfect score level. Those issues cover some slight compression errors and edge enhancement, but those small glitches can’t keep this impressive transfer down much. The source print looks very clean, which allows the brightness and detail present to shine, which you have to like. The colors are in fine form, very rich tones and no signs of flaws in the least. I also saw no signs of trouble with the flesh tones, which come off as natural and distortion free. The contrast is well covered too, no visible detail loss here and the black level balance is dead on. This is pretty darn close to perfect and I doubt anyone will be let down here.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc sports a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, but as is the case with most comedies, there just isn’t much surround presence. The musical soundtrack makes nice of the surrounds here, but that spells the start and finish of it, so don’t expect a whirlwind mix from this one. The elements come in natural form though, so you can’t lodge too much in terms of complaints with this mix. I’d rather see a more conservative presence than a forced one, so I am pleased here. The sound effects show some range at times, but for the most part, reside within the front channels, which is where they should be. I heard no problems with the dialogue either, as it came through in crisp form and with no volume issues in the least. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A scripted, dull director’s commentary with Susan Stroman is up first, followed by deleted scenes, a look behind the scenes, and a reel of outtakes.
