This movie has the ingredients of a good movie. The acting's good, it has memorable musical numbers, and it's very funny. so where did they go wrong? The problem lies in source material. It's one thing you have one sources, but this has two: the original film and the Broadway musical. In both instances, the film seems flatly imitative. Lane's Max is a throwback to Zero Mostel and Broderick's Leo is a throwback to Gene Wilder. They want to be original, but it's hard to ignore the performances these are harking back to. Quotes and lines that made the original film so memorable are intact, suggesting imitation ala psycho than a bona-fide remake.
Well, that's fine, but this also has the Broadway musical as a source. This is where everything goes wrong. Many people did not get a chance to see the critically acclaimed sold-out shows with Lane and Broderick and I believe that's where the idea of the film came in. In an attempt to give fans the chance to see the show, the film tries to replicate it. A direct transfer from stage to screen can be a hard watch. A lesson learned from Chicago should be that some stage shows require a lot of tweaking to be watchable on the screen. This is one of them.
But lat's go back further. A director like Robert Wise can take musicals like West Side Story and the Sound of Music and transition them to screen by taking full advantage of the format. It's hard to ignore the wonderful use of scope, color, and cinematography that made these films so great to watch in theatres. They were able to separate the Broadway show from the film. You want to re-imagine the show to fit the medium. Unfortunately, the Producers never takes full advantage of the film format.
The film is still fun to watch. Broderick and Lane have wonderful chemistry, as they should by now. There are certain scenes like the one following "Springtime for Hitler" in Leo and Max's office that would have been fun to see on the stage. Most of these actors are holdovers from the stage. Will Ferrel adjusts nicely in his role and was a wonderful casting choice. The only misguided casting may be that of Uma Thurman. She does a good job, but is just believable in the role. It may be because we know her too well now.
As for replicating the stage show, I've never seen the original production, but can tell this was designed mainly for the stage. There a couple song omissions, the King of Broadway and Where did We Go Right, but at 2+ hours, it gets a little tiring, especially with the uninspired directing. It's a potentially good film that never takes full advantage of moving from stage to screen. Fun for a rental.
Well, that's fine, but this also has the Broadway musical as a source. This is where everything goes wrong. Many people did not get a chance to see the critically acclaimed sold-out shows with Lane and Broderick and I believe that's where the idea of the film came in. In an attempt to give fans the chance to see the show, the film tries to replicate it. A direct transfer from stage to screen can be a hard watch. A lesson learned from Chicago should be that some stage shows require a lot of tweaking to be watchable on the screen. This is one of them.
But lat's go back further. A director like Robert Wise can take musicals like West Side Story and the Sound of Music and transition them to screen by taking full advantage of the format. It's hard to ignore the wonderful use of scope, color, and cinematography that made these films so great to watch in theatres. They were able to separate the Broadway show from the film. You want to re-imagine the show to fit the medium. Unfortunately, the Producers never takes full advantage of the film format.
The film is still fun to watch. Broderick and Lane have wonderful chemistry, as they should by now. There are certain scenes like the one following "Springtime for Hitler" in Leo and Max's office that would have been fun to see on the stage. Most of these actors are holdovers from the stage. Will Ferrel adjusts nicely in his role and was a wonderful casting choice. The only misguided casting may be that of Uma Thurman. She does a good job, but is just believable in the role. It may be because we know her too well now.
As for replicating the stage show, I've never seen the original production, but can tell this was designed mainly for the stage. There a couple song omissions, the King of Broadway and Where did We Go Right, but at 2+ hours, it gets a little tiring, especially with the uninspired directing. It's a potentially good film that never takes full advantage of moving from stage to screen. Fun for a rental.