The Producers
A cash-strapped Broadway producer and a neurotic accountant gamble on a deliberately disastrous Hitler musical to make a fortune.
Overview
A theatrical producer's wild scheme leads to a hilariously disastrous musical that pushes the boundaries of comedy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- irreverent
- witty
- campy
- classic comedy night
- theater movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an exceptionally inventive and uproarious comedy, while some fault its crude humor, broad ethnic stereotypes, and uneven episodic construction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The fraudulent Broadway production Springtime for Hitler is the central comic provocation and cultural target.
Max and Leo plan to produce a guaranteed failure as a means of profiting from investors.
Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom drive the story through their opposing temperaments and shared fraud.
The film foregrounds flamboyant performers, heightened acting, musical spectacle, and show-business excess.
Films like The Producers, and why
The Ritz
broad, irreverent satire using theatrical performance and outrageous comic characters
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
ensemble farce, show-business setting, escalating schemes, and flamboyant comic performances
Dr. Strangelove
dark political satire that turns Nazi imagery into provocative absurdist comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Mel Brooks
- Release Date
- 1968-03-18
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (938)
Cast
- Zero Mostel
- Gene Wilder
- Dick Shawn
- Kenneth Mars
- Estelle Winwood
- Christopher Hewett
- Andréas Voutsinas
- Lee Meredith
- Renée Taylor
- Michael Davis
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- TCM, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Producers about?
- A cash-strapped Broadway producer and a neurotic accountant gamble on a deliberately disastrous Hitler musical to make a fortune.
- What is The Producers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Producers as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Producers violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Producers.
- What did critics think of The Producers?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an exceptionally inventive and uproarious comedy, while some fault its crude humor, broad ethnic stereotypes, and uneven episodic construction.
- Which films are like The Producers?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ritz, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Dr. Strangelove.
- How long is The Producers?
- The Producers runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Producers?
- In United States, The Producers streams on TCM, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
