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Rat Race
2001
An all-star cast proves just how far people will go for the chance to win $2 million in Jerry Zucker's RAT RACE. In the tradition of Zucker's AIRPLANE and NAKED GUN 2-1/2: THE SMELL OF FEAR, this film features wild chase scenes, slapstick comedy, sight gags, impossible situations, and zany characters. Whoopi Goldberg, Jon .. Read more
| Starring | Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr. |
|---|---|
| Director | Jerry Zucker |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Comedy |
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Rat Race
An all-star cast proves just how far people will go for the chance to win $2 million in Jerry Zucker's RAT RACE. In the tradition of Zucker's AIRPLANE and NAKED GUN 2-1/2: THE SMELL OF FEAR, this film features wild chase scenes, slapstick comedy, sight gags, impossible situations, and zany characters. Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Lovitz, Rowan Atkinson, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Seth Green, and Breckin Meyer star as the lucky winners of special tokens in the slot machines at a Las Vegas casino. Casino owner John Cleese informs them that they are invited to participate in a race: The first of them to reach Silver City, New Mexico, will receive the $2 million cash prize. To make things interesting, there are no rules, which leads to the commandeering of a bus, a run-in with Nazis, the use of a high-speed experimental car, and revenge on a cheating boyfriend--And that's just the beginning. In the meantime, the participants are really part of a bigger plan: high rollers are betting on which of them will win the cash. Watch for brief appearances by Kathy Bates, Dean Cain, and Wayne Knight. Also starring Amy Smart, Kathy Najimy, Lanai Chapman, and Vince Vieluf.
| Starring | Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green, Jon Lovitz, Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart |
|---|---|
| Director | Jerry Zucker |
| Studio | PATHE DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 47 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Comedy |
| Language | English, English Audio Description |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 08 Jul 2002 Production year: 2001 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Fans of 1960s caper movie It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World will enjoy this infectiously silly comedy packed with celebrities and gags. John Cleese — complete with the maddest set of dentures ever seen on film — is the billionaire casino owner who decides to give his high-rolling gamblers something unusual to bet on: the outcome of a race from Las Vegas to a locker a few hundred miles away in New Mexico that just happens to contain $2 million. A group of ordinary people are given the chance to get their hands on the loot — the only rule being that whoever gets there first, gets the cash. Among those in the hunt are a narcoleptic Italian (Rowan Atkinson), a recently reunited mother and daughter (Whoopi Goldberg and Lanai Chapman), two idiot brothers (Seth Green and Vince Vieluf) and a nagging Jewish husband and wife (Jon Lovitz and Kathy Najimy) who manage to run into a band of neo-Nazis en route. An old-fashioned chase movie with some jokes as old as the hills these people are running over, this is still a fun diversion.
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Avaricious Las Vegas casino tycoon Donald Sinclair (Cleese) will do anything to fulfil the whims of his high-rolling... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Enjoy with friends, family, or a heap of ironing
Rat Race is an enjoyable Sunday afternoon film - amusing and obvious with the twee age-old “money isn’t everything” lesson being brought to you with the beautiful irony of Hollywood morality films.
A little trite yes, and certainly more so when compounded with the choice of Smashmouth’s “Hey now, you’re an all star” recycled for the umpteenth time (I’m thinking Shrek, Mystery Men, Austin Powers- I’m sure you can think of more) to really guarantee that the audience realises they’ve seen this all before.
However, the masterful Cleese turns in a suitably eccentric performance, Atkinson works his Mr Bean charm, and Lovitz doesn’t disappoint. And while all the characters are affable and sometimes, though not often, entertaining, you can understand why so many stars were necessary - no character is strong enough to carry the script alone, and it still flags even with the combined efforts of them all (I managed to do an full French manicure and change my watch battery).
Basically, if you find the thought of an oriental I Love Lucy fan amazingly wacky and satirical, or think that a swollen tongue gag is good enough to endure a 2 hour sitting, then this may be the film of your life.
Otherwise, if you have a free afternoon and a maintenance job to keep your hands occupied (if you don’t do manicures, maybe you have to organise your work or fold your socks?), then this is the perfect accompaniment. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
funny
This is really quite a silly and pointless film but that does not detract from its funniness. I watched it on Sunday and was in stitches at certain bits. I didn't quite understand why Rowan Atkinson was cast as an Italian when he is clearly doing his Mr Bean bit, however his catchphrase 'It's a race, it's a race, I'm winning!' in a rather dubious Italian accent is permanently ingrained in my brain for some reason.
Kathy Bates is hilarious as a woman bent on selling squirrels to lost passers by, as is Whoopi Goldberg who, in a state of confusion after being driven in a land-speed record breaking vehicle, declares to a sceptical 'special needs' nurse 'we came in the rocket car', and the busload of Lucille Balls is hilarious. And you get to see Cuba Gooding Jr in his boxers. A lot. What more could you ask for? -
News and features
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Cleese to hang up the silly walks
- 15 Jun 2006
Comedy institution John Cleese has announced that he is to quit while he is ahead in the funny stakes, pledging to nurture the comedic talents of the future instead. The 66-year-old, whose comedy CV is bursting with classics like Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, admitted in a rare interview with The Times that the time had come to impart his knowledge to the next generation of laugh-inducers. "I'm too tired to write new comedy. I can never do better than Fawlty Towers whatever I do. Now I... Read more
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