Max Bialystock is a theatrical producer who sweet-talks rich old women to get them to invest in his Broadway plays. Then he meets Leo Bloom, who innocently realizes that if Max were to get a lot of money to invest in play which was a guaranteed flop, that they would be rich. The two then proceed to find the worst play ever written, obtain a large number of investors, hire a lead actor and director with absolutely no talent, and then sit back to wait for the bad reviews. The plan is faultless.....at least they think so...