April 24, 2011

The Producers

Lynn’s Druthers Marathon, part 14



Data
Title: The Producers
Year: 1968
Length: 88 minutes
Director: Mel Brooks
Writer: Mel Brooks
Starring: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder
Music: John Morris (score); Mel Brooks, Norman Blagman & Herbert Hartig (songs)
Oscars: won for Best Original Screenplay, nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Wilder)
I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), a couple days ago
Synopsis: a Broadway producer tries to rip off investors

My reaction
Concept:1/4 (Bad)
Story:1/4 (Bad) It's at its best when it's absurd and unpredictable, and once the story gets going, it could hardly be more predictable, plot-wise.
Characters:3/4 (Good)
Dialog:4/4 (Great)
Pacing:3/4 (Good)
Cinematography:3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design:2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting:3/4 (Good)
Music:3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great, 4/4 (Great)). There's one epic scene, that makes up most of the first act, which is all kinds of crazy hilarious. The rest of the movie is nice, and often funny, and unexceptional.
Objective Rating (Average):2.7/4 (Good)

2 comments:

  1. Hmm, I rate this much lower. I am usually a fan of Mel Brooks, but boy oh boy did I hate this movie. Even the absurdity here didn't work for me.

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  2. If it weren't for Gene Wilder I might have ended up disliking it, too. But his performance in the first act makes for one of the all time greatest comedy scenes.

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