#1
Posted: 12/29/05 at 12:45pm
I ignored the bad reviews and the not so great word of mouth and headed down to downtown Disney to see this movie, looking for a well-adapted movie musical. I was really excited to see all the Broadway names and cameos. The theatre was about a quarter full when I got there...and at the end of the movie..perhaps 9 people remained. 9. And we were two of them...did they walk out because of all the singing? Did they walk out because it was too stagy? maybe they didn’t get some of the theatrically based jokes?
I don’t think so.
I think they walked out because they were bored.
Seriously, I almost walked out because I was bored.
What the hell was that? I went in there wanting to like it. I really wanted to like it. I wanted this to be a continuation of the movement that would save the "movie musical". I thought, well Phantom, and Rent couldn’t do it. However, here is a musical comedy. People will come to a musical comedy. Wrong.
Afterwards, I felt the same way I felt when I saw Phantom of the Opera, last year. "wow, that show had some great production values but I think they forgot they were making a movie" With stage based laugh pauses (that didn’t get much laughter) to the never realistic set pieces (were there any locations that were REAL in the movie? Everything LOOKED like a set. Everything felt like a play. In fact, it was so much like a play, that I actually felt BAD when nobody laughed during the pauses. It was just awkward, as if Matthew and Nathan were really there, hearing us not laughing...I wanted to yell, "pick up your cues and move on"
Not to say the performances weren’t wonderful. OMG there were some wonderful performances. Matthew and Nathan were great, Uma thurman, Will Ferrel, Roger Bart, and Gary Beach were amazing...so what was wrong with it?
they never got over their old joke. Every scene was played like "hey guys...look this is a movie, based on a play, based on a movie. wink wink, I'm gonna sing to you now. " Never was there a realistic element at all that made me care about the characters...
I'm going to regret saying this because people will think I’m just comparing..but I cared about the characters of Rent..here this will make my stance clearer..I cared about the characters of Phantom of the Opera (and I hated that movie) more than I cared about the characters in the Producers. The only reason I didn’t walk out, as most of the theatre did..is because I wanted to see the number "springtime for Hitler" after that..I spent the night playing "name that Broadway celeb" as they past by..and hoping it would all be over soon.
Certain sequences were AWESOME. Der Guten Tag Hop Clop, Keep it Gay, When you got it Flaunt it. Along Came Bialy (somewhat) and Springtime for Hitler. Between that.. awkward slapstick that didn’t really do much, forced humor with laugh pauses that were met with awkward silence..and my absolute favorite..GAPING HOLES of silence after each number...for applause maybe? Even if the 9 people that were left at this point had applauded, it would have sounded awkward and sad. Did I mention it was awkward?
The Producers was not a Movie.
Case in point. Look at RENT's streets. Realistic. CHICAGO's Jail. Realistic. PHANTOM's Theatre. Realistic. REEFER MADNESS neighborhood and locations. REALISTIC. HEDWIG's tour....even MOULIN ROUGE in all its extravagance had REAL locations.. It was very Rare during those movies that we felt..oh..thats a SET. Unless its intended.
Now look at PRODUCERS. Look at the cinematography. It was filmed like a sitcom. The same angle shots, never changing. Like a three camera sitcom. The same three shots on Will Farrell’s roof, the same right sweep in the producers office. The same angles, facing the judge and left wall mostly in the courtroom. The rooms were never complete rooms; the shots were never 360 locations. It was never a MOVIE.
So lets put that aside. As a show..wow....okay..all that stagy set style makes sense...Oh and those nervous twitches Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane had were FUNNY cause those dramatic pauses in between allowed a person to laugh..and the show stopping numbers that were sold to the audience. they all made sense..take away that movie screen, the popcorn and put real people back in..that Makes sense..
I totally get it..this was supposed to be a movie, based on a show, based on a movie...but..like the few funny jokes, didn’t I already get that from the preview?
I love theatre..and Musicals are my life.. and I will gladly fork over the double-digit cash to see a live theatrical show. I will gladly pay the overpriced movie ticket prices for a good movie..
I went the the movie, really wanted to like it. I REALLY wanted to like it.
But last night, The Producers, wasn’t a movie. It was just cheap theatre.
I don’t think so.
I think they walked out because they were bored.
Seriously, I almost walked out because I was bored.
What the hell was that? I went in there wanting to like it. I really wanted to like it. I wanted this to be a continuation of the movement that would save the "movie musical". I thought, well Phantom, and Rent couldn’t do it. However, here is a musical comedy. People will come to a musical comedy. Wrong.
Afterwards, I felt the same way I felt when I saw Phantom of the Opera, last year. "wow, that show had some great production values but I think they forgot they were making a movie" With stage based laugh pauses (that didn’t get much laughter) to the never realistic set pieces (were there any locations that were REAL in the movie? Everything LOOKED like a set. Everything felt like a play. In fact, it was so much like a play, that I actually felt BAD when nobody laughed during the pauses. It was just awkward, as if Matthew and Nathan were really there, hearing us not laughing...I wanted to yell, "pick up your cues and move on"
Not to say the performances weren’t wonderful. OMG there were some wonderful performances. Matthew and Nathan were great, Uma thurman, Will Ferrel, Roger Bart, and Gary Beach were amazing...so what was wrong with it?
they never got over their old joke. Every scene was played like "hey guys...look this is a movie, based on a play, based on a movie. wink wink, I'm gonna sing to you now. " Never was there a realistic element at all that made me care about the characters...
I'm going to regret saying this because people will think I’m just comparing..but I cared about the characters of Rent..here this will make my stance clearer..I cared about the characters of Phantom of the Opera (and I hated that movie) more than I cared about the characters in the Producers. The only reason I didn’t walk out, as most of the theatre did..is because I wanted to see the number "springtime for Hitler" after that..I spent the night playing "name that Broadway celeb" as they past by..and hoping it would all be over soon.
Certain sequences were AWESOME. Der Guten Tag Hop Clop, Keep it Gay, When you got it Flaunt it. Along Came Bialy (somewhat) and Springtime for Hitler. Between that.. awkward slapstick that didn’t really do much, forced humor with laugh pauses that were met with awkward silence..and my absolute favorite..GAPING HOLES of silence after each number...for applause maybe? Even if the 9 people that were left at this point had applauded, it would have sounded awkward and sad. Did I mention it was awkward?
The Producers was not a Movie.
Case in point. Look at RENT's streets. Realistic. CHICAGO's Jail. Realistic. PHANTOM's Theatre. Realistic. REEFER MADNESS neighborhood and locations. REALISTIC. HEDWIG's tour....even MOULIN ROUGE in all its extravagance had REAL locations.. It was very Rare during those movies that we felt..oh..thats a SET. Unless its intended.
Now look at PRODUCERS. Look at the cinematography. It was filmed like a sitcom. The same angle shots, never changing. Like a three camera sitcom. The same three shots on Will Farrell’s roof, the same right sweep in the producers office. The same angles, facing the judge and left wall mostly in the courtroom. The rooms were never complete rooms; the shots were never 360 locations. It was never a MOVIE.
So lets put that aside. As a show..wow....okay..all that stagy set style makes sense...Oh and those nervous twitches Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane had were FUNNY cause those dramatic pauses in between allowed a person to laugh..and the show stopping numbers that were sold to the audience. they all made sense..take away that movie screen, the popcorn and put real people back in..that Makes sense..
I totally get it..this was supposed to be a movie, based on a show, based on a movie...but..like the few funny jokes, didn’t I already get that from the preview?
I love theatre..and Musicals are my life.. and I will gladly fork over the double-digit cash to see a live theatrical show. I will gladly pay the overpriced movie ticket prices for a good movie..
I went the the movie, really wanted to like it. I REALLY wanted to like it.
But last night, The Producers, wasn’t a movie. It was just cheap theatre.
