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I have delayed commenting on this movie for months now. I did so in fairness to the film, as I had seen the original (with Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel) on DVD just days before viewing this flick theatrically — so I thought that I’d be fair to stars Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, and director Susan Stroman by withholding comment until I had further time to digest what I’d seen. After two theatrical viewings and a DVD screening… I’ve passed my judgment (which, admittedly is undue… because I’m a keyboard critic).

The Producers is a good movie. It’s exactly what one would hope for in a modern-day Mel Brooks film — a popcorn comedy with large portions of over-the-top political incorrectness. Although I was a bit put-off in the beginning with the direction (points of the movie are staged to look like they’ve just put a camera in the audience at the St. James Theatre), I’ve come to accept any apparent flaws as stylistic choices. Overall, the film looks and sounds beautiful — thus, I’d say that Susan Stroman did a wonderful job at film direction. The costumes are absolutely gorgeous (see the girls with pearls in “I Wanna Be A Producer”), the choreography is flawless, the set design is impeccable, and the orchestrations and vocal arrangements are absolutely wonderful.

I’ll even go so far as to say that there may never have been another stage-to-film adaptation that so beautifully captured (and enhanced) its source material.

That’s not to say that the movie was flawless.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve chosen to be an actor by trade, but I always seem to scrutinize the acting performances of those are supposedly entertaining me. I wish there was a switch in my brain that I could use to turn this behavior off, but there isn’t. If I’m watching someone do something that I think I could do better, I (unfortunately) take notice — especially in films [just as just about everyone on the internet could’ve directed a better Star Wars : Episode I or II]. My only gripe with The Producers lies in the acting — more specifically, the acting of the headlining cast.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that everyone in the movie did a “bad job.” Nathan Lane, as Max Bialystock, delivers one of the funniest performances I’ve seen in a Mel Brooks film. Not only did he manage to pay hommage to Zero Mostel’s performance, he added new, fresh choices that made his version of Bialystock even funnier than the precedent. Will Ferrell never fails to deliver laughs in any film, and is a great addition to the Producers ensemble. The best performances in the entire movie, however, lie in Roger Bart and Gary Beach (Carmen Ghia and Roger DeBris, respectively), who manage to one-up the original film’s performers by a long shot. “Keep it Gay” made me laugh so hard I was in physical pain (both times seeing the show on Broadway and in cinemas).

Unfortunately, Matthew Broderick (Leo Bloom) is a terrible actor. It’s not that I’ve never been a fan of his work (which makes this quite unlike my pure loathing of Brendan Frasier), I liked Ferris Bueller as much as the next guy, but he’s just not good. Watching the film three times over, I’ve realized that there wasn’t any actual *acting* going on as far as Matthew Broderick is concerned. He just stands there and reads lines, often times probably not realizing what he’s saying or doing. That’s not to say that he’s not funny in the film (I’ll admit it, I found myself laughing at his delivery, occasionally), it just seems as if he’s only being funny when he’s imitating Gene Wilder (Note: Nathan Lane is “paying hommage” to Zero Mostel, Matthew Broderick is “blatantly stealing” from Mr. Wilder). (Side note: I’ve seen Roger Bart play Leo Bloom on Broadway, and he was absolutely amazing.)

His romantic interest, Uma Thurman (Ulla), is terribly miscast. Thurman (star of Kill Bill, Vol. 1 & 2) is not a singer or a dancer, and it shows. While Ulla’s first act number (”When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It”) should display the actress’ powerhouse voice and incredible flexibility, it comes off on film as a so-so number that probalby could have been cut (and probably would have been, if it hadn’t been saved by Nathan Lane’s hilarious reaction shots). From there, it gets worse before it gets better for Uma. “That Face,” Ulla’s duet with Leo, is almost unwatchable — and even sure-fire jokes from the stage version don’t translate to the movie. Thurman does manage to do a decent job in “Springtime for Hitler,” but Ulla’s part in the aforementioned show is so minute and ultimately insignificant that it, too, could have been cut.

So, in short, The Producers is a great film, guaranteed to make you laugh if you can get past a few below-par performances from two of the film’s major stars. Everything that should be in a musical comedy is, in fact, present… and it’s a good substitute for when you’re jonesing for the theatre, but can’t make the trip to Shubert Alley.