The Producers

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The Producers

1968

1h 28m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

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76 Reviews

85%

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50,000+ Ratings

Down-and-out producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), who was once the toast of Broadway, trades sexual favors with old ladies for cash contributions. Max's new accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), offhandedly muses that if Max found investors for a new production that turned into a flop, he could legally keep all the extra money. The duo begins to put together the worst play possible, titled "Springtime for Hitler", with a terrible director and a hippie-freak star.

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Critics Consensus

A hilarious satire of the business side of Hollywood, The Producers is one of Mel Brooks' finest, as well as funniest films, featuring standout performances by Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

08/01/2018

5/5

Each time I've watched it - and I've watched it many times - Mel Brooks' The Producers has felt horribly pertinent to the present moment.

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TIME Magazine

08/12/2008

The Producers has many things going for it -- notably a wild, ad-lib energy that explodes in a series of sight gags and punch lines.

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Variety Staff

Variety

08/12/2008

Mel Brooks has turned a funny idea into a slapstick film, thanks to the performers, particularly Zero Mostel.

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

Jun 26

50 years later...its belief in the anti-fascism of the American public comes across as quaintly cheerful. Its cynical portrayal of capitalist complicity, though, retains a queasy rightness

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Joseph Tomastik

Loud and Clear Reviews

10/05/2024

3/5

The film is far more consistently entertaining in the second half than in the first half, but a lot of the laughs come more from the ideas of what we’re seeing rather than their deliveries.

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

08/30/2024

5/5

While the gags flow freely throughout, it's the jaw-dropping numbers from Springtime for Hitler that cement the film's place in cinema history.

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Spencer P.

@s_plewe May 31

The Producers, Mel Brooks' directorial debut, is an unapologetically silly satire of Broadway that takes great risks with hilarious results!

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Ben W

@Username618 Apr 25

So, note to self/ just to be clear... Springtime for Hitler as a joke targets musicals, saying you can make a musical about anything, they are so insincere. So. As ever, with parody, don't kill the host. Seem to remember it was ok. The pauses are purposeful.

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Luca D.

@JoeCamel7 Mar 18

Not a huge fan of comedies, and the first couple minutes of this movie feel very forced and not funny, but as the movie progresses it actually gets really funny and I was laughing out loud. The script for the movie is pretty basic, it's not that long of a movie and the performances really carry the movie.

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Chris H

@RT60525826 Feb 26

Wildly funny and full of brilliant performances. An intriguing concept is mined to its fullest and every minute is a joy, even though some of it makes you cringe. There's a brilliant moment (among many) where the play, Springtime for Hitler, opens on Broadway and the audience stares open mouthed; before the camera had cut to the audience, I was already doing that myself. It really is that tasteless and I wonder if the censors might disapprove these days, but of course it's all deliberate and makes its point. Remember too that Mel Brooks, Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder are/were all Jewish.

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Austin S.

@IAMAVERICK Feb 12

Favorite movie of all time...

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MariofanAlex445

@RT47678067 Feb 4

Mel is a GENIUS.

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Mel Brooks

Director

Zero Mostel

Max Bialystock

Gene Wilder

Leo Bloom

Dick Shawn

Lorenzo St. DuBois

Kenneth Mars

Franz Liebkind

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Synopsis

Down-and-out producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), who was once the toast of Broadway, trades sexual favors with old ladies for cash contributions. Max's new accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), offhandedly muses that if Max found investors for a new production that turned into a flop, he could legally keep all the extra money. The duo begins to put together the worst play possible, titled "Springtime for Hitler", with a terrible director and a hippie-freak star.

Director: Mel Brooks
Producer: Sidney Glazier
Screenwriter: Mel Brooks
Production Co: Crossbow Productions, AVCO Embassy Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 18, 1968, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 7, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $111.9K
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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