Why was this voted as one of the funniest comedies of all time in AFI's Hall of Fame? Who cares? I sure as heck didn't think it was that funny. There was an occasional giggle here and there, but I found it frequently annoying and stupid. The comic timing is perfect, Zero and Gene have a great chemistry. Too bad there's no good material to work with. What we're basically watching is the two of them fumbling around like a bunch of idiots for a mindless hour and thirty minutes. Now, Mel had some good ideas. "Springtime for Hitler" could've been hilarious, but even that fell flat. Come on, a drug-induced sixties, flower-power stoner playing Hitler is supposed to be funny? Maybe I missed something. Maybe I should give another look. On second thought...no. There's a whole bunch of weird bits of comedy that are definitely original--but that's all they are. That originality has no zest or appeal. Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder stumble through each scene like Abbott and Costello with crappy material. Did I have to be born in the late sixties to get the humor? Is this a dated comedy? There has to be some reason why one of the "supposedly" funniest comedies of all time only sparked a few giggles and a bunch of groans and snores out of me. And I'm a fan of Mel. He's definitely a comic genius like no other. But I'm sure even the greatest of writers--if you look back in time--wrote a really bad essay in sophomore year of high school. This is like that essay. Loved all his other movies. This one should be thrown in the trash.
Review of The Producers
