A Mel Brooks written flick with singing and dancing? No way!

I’m sure you all remember seeing trailers for this flick, you know, the new Mel Brooks produced and written movie? With the singing and dancing? Yeah, that’s the one. It really bombed seriously hardcore in the box office. But you want to know the real shocker about this musical (and not just that I, a mechanic, actually watched a musical)? This movie was freakin’ great. It came out at the same time as some huge flick, but for all my searching on imdb.com, I could not figure out which movie. That really was unfortunate though, because this movie, in my opinion, could be one of the best to come out in 2005. And I have never watched a musical that I actually enjoyed, so that’s saying a whole lot. Set in the 1950s and starring Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane, and Will Ferrell, nothing about this movie disappoints. It’s fun, entertaining, captivating, thrilling, and sometimes a little gay (by a little I mean–damn).

Plot

Down-on-his-luck Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) and his excitable accountant Leopold Bloom (Matthew Broderick) realize that under the right circumstances, it’s possible to make more money with a broadway flop than with a hit. So the two scheme together to create the ultimate Broadway flop of all time. The two procure the worst play ever written: “Springtime for Hitler” written by the psychotically devoted pigeon-farming, ex-nazi Franz Liebkind (Will Ferrell). Then they hire the worst director possible, a flamboyantly gay cross-dresser. Then they hire (mostly by mistake) a beautiful Swedish blonde named Ulla (Uma Thurman) to star in the flop. But just before the premiere, Franz Liebkind who was supposed to play Hitler, breaks his leg. And taking over for him: the flamboyantly gay director. Due to the acting of this director, the show is a hit. This leaves Max and Leo in an awful pickle that leads from one twist to another right until the end of the movie (not to mention multiple fascinating singing and dancing scenes).

Visual

Very cool. The Producers accurately portrays life in New York in the 50’s and the lighting is fascinating. Just when you think the scene is getting bland, some cool lighting or a strangely dressed director pops into view. Very impressive, and I could not find any real flaws in the visuals of this flick. Extra props to the choreographers of this movie, it was very impressive to see such high-name actors dancing in time and with accuracy.

Audio

The music in this movie was very impressive, the wording was creative and comical and perhaps a touch melodramatic at times, but is so excellently performed that you almost forget that they are singing, it just seems like better acting. As for other audio touches, there’s nothing to really mention. Any sound effects were good but not overwhelming, and in a movie like this it fit exactly the way it should have. God damn the singing was great.

Acting

The actors just flat out made this movie. Everyone’s performances were spot on. Even Will Ferrell didn’t damage the movie by overacting, as he often does. But the acting and musical acting was absolutely flawless. I really can’t stress enough how excellent all the actors and actresses were here, especially Matthew Broderick. His performance as the manic, excitable, compulsive accountant was excellent.

Summary

Nothing about this movie disappoints me. I actually felt like it was a musical that anyone can enjoy. From young children to old adults, you can easily appreciate the subtle humor, the obvious humor, and the melodramatic humor. All while enjoying stellar vocal performances from everyone in the cast. And the dancing is pretty damn good too. If you only rent one movie this summer, I strongly recommend this. Even if it does seem a little long for a musical, the ending fits flawlessly into the rest of the movie, so the extra time is well worth it.

5 “Adolf Elizibeth Hitler?” out of 5