The Producers

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The Producers

1968,

1h 28m,

Comedy

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Watchlist

Watchlist

92%

72 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

72 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

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.

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

Aug 1, 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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Variety Staff

Variety

Aug 12, 2008

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

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Aug 12, 2008

Everything that can go wrong in an amateur film does go wrong, from the timing to the structure to the pitch of the performances.

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

Jun 26, 2026

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

Oct 5, 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

Aug 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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Poe W

Dec 27, 2018

It's incredible when you realize that this was Mel Brooks' first film. And it's all writing and acting that carries it. No nudity, profanity or special effects included.

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Theodore M

Jul 15, 2018

Oh what a pair Mostel and Wilder make in this movie! Such a joy to watch

Leia R

Jul 10, 2018

The Producers has a somewhat annoying first act, but it becomes better and better upon eventually becoming such a good, fun flick leading to the best Mel Brooks film I've seen so far. The film looks cheap, but is well directed, entertaining and fast paced, particularly exuberant in its approach and it features a memorable, fun main duo in Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.

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Theodore G

Jul 4, 2018

Springtime for Mel Brooks! The Producers may be a little out there, but Brooks, Mostel, Wilder, and Mars make it work! Bravo Brooks!

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Anakin S

Jun 3, 2018

Viewed a 50th anniversary showing, and although some of the bite maybe lost in today's minefield of irreverence there is still plenty of witty satire and laugh out loud slapstick for audiences in 2018.

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Luke W

Dec 29, 2017

Mel Brooks skewering his own profession. A classic.

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Mel Brooks

Director

Zero Mostel

Max Bialystock

Gene Wilder

Leo Bloom

Dick Shawn

Lorenzo St. DuBois

Kenneth Mars

Franz Liebkind

Estelle Winwood

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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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