The Producers (The Original, Of Course)

My brother and I, when we were little, both had a serious crush on Matthew Broderick. My brother's was a man-crush, an oh-my-god-he's-so-cool crush. Mine was a crush pure and simple. He both enjoyed his acting in Ferris Bueller's Day Off so very much that we sat through the new version of The Producers, with Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock. We actually like it.

However, there is only one thing that my brother and I love more than Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane: Gene Wilder.

So when I watched the older (and better, I must say) version, I didn't realize what I had been missing.

Mel Brooks is a master by himself, but when you stick him with Gene Wilder, he's unstoppable. One of the more prominent memories from my childhood is Willy Wonka going all nuts in the Wonkavator. He goes even crazier in this. If that's enough to persuade you to go rent this movie, then I don't what is.

Here's the story: Max Bialystock is a washed-up theater producer that gets by through befriending old ladies. His accountant, Leo Bloom, has an idea one day. He theorizes, out loud, that under the right circumstances, a producer could make more money on a flop than with a hit. The two then pair up and find a horrible script to produce. A script that is basically a love letter.... to Adolph Hitler. Sadly, the actors that they hire end up actually making a hit out of the project, by mocking the Nazis.

It's a hilarious portrayal of the musical world, with an unforgettable soundtrack and some of the best crazy acting ever.

Gene Wilder's Leo Bloom goes absolutely nuts over his childhood crutch, his "BLUE BLANKET!!"

Hilarious.