Rat Race (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Donald Sinclair (John Cleese) has placed 6 separate gold coins in different slot machines in his Las Vegas casino. The lucky 6 who find these coins discover an opportunity of a lifetime in the relentlessly cheerful and silly 'Rat Race', directed by Jerry Zucker. The opportunity? A chance to own $2,000,000!!! Hidden in a random locker in New Mexico, these 6 'contestants' must race each other to be the 1st to find the doe. Determined to find a new way for wagering, this game was set-up by Sinclair as a way for him & his associates to place their own bets on who'll win. There are no rules in this game. Mayhem & hilarity ensues. Some jokes only make sense later in the film (quite the pay-off when that occurs). And other jokes need no explanation ... "Should have bought a squirrel!"
The opening 15 minutes sets-up the time, the setting, a premise, & who these 6 people are. Nick (Breckin Meyer) is a straitlaced businessman who's trying to pick-up Tracy (Amy Smart), a pretty helicopter pilot. Jon Lovitz & Kathy Najimy play a married couple with 2 kids & are on vacation in Sinclair's billion dollar casino resort. Owen (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is an NFL referee on the down-low after blowing a huge call in a critical game. Vera & Merill (Whoopi Goldberg, Lanei Chapman) are mother & daughter; deciding to meet each other for the 1st time in the casino lounge. Seth Green & Vince Vieluf play 2 brothers who happen to be con-men. And Enrico Pollini (Rowan Atkinson) is a sweet but narcoleptic Italian. They are ordinary people (in Vegas for various reasons). There's no comedy in the 1st 15 minutes (genius decision). However, once assembled, & debriefed on why they've won these odd-looking coins, the rat race begins.
Donald Sinclair has set them off running ... or walking, by foot, or bus, or car, plane, train, helicopter, horse, the list goes on. Once the $2 mill is implanted in their greedy minds, they all go crazy trying to find the quickest way to Silver City, New Mexico (some 700 miles away). Some of the scenarios that these people get into are hysterical: Vera & Merill ask a squirrel lady (Kathy Bates in a great cameo) on a dirt road for directions. Watch what happens when they decide 'not' to take those directions. Hot air balloons & flying cows can safely be said in the same sentence. Enrico Pollini gets himself involved with a transplanted heart that needs to get to its recipient immediately. After having been left in the desert with no clothes, Owen turns hijacker; finding himself trapped on a bus full of Lucille Ball impersonators on their way to a convention. What's funny about that is that this 110 minute film plays out like the scatterbrained plot of an "I Love Lucy" episode. After encountering some skinheads, Jon Lovitz' character somehow allows for Hitler's arrival at a WWII veteran's convention (you have to see it to believe it).
The last 10 minutes or so presents an acute change of pace from the previous 80 minutes. It's not a bad ending, but it's a sentimental one that doesn't fit perfectly with the tone of the rest of the film. That aside, I laughed a Hell of a lot during 'Rat Race'. Comedy is a hard sell for me (on film). So when it's done right, I have to exalt it. Everyone in the cast is great; practically losing their minds with wild abandon at the thought of getting to the $$ first. Rowan Atkinson is, perhaps, most impressive as the funny talking, funny walking narcoleptic. And John Cleese (with his huge, bright white veneers) always puts a smile on my face. 'Rat Race' can be classified as a chase comedy; and boy is it ever. It won't be for everyone. But using tactics such as saturation humor, absurd sight gags, one-liners, cynicism, puns, character desperation, slapstick, & other bursts of inspired humor, I recommend this film to anyone with a funny bone (basically 99.9% of the world).
The opening 15 minutes sets-up the time, the setting, a premise, & who these 6 people are. Nick (Breckin Meyer) is a straitlaced businessman who's trying to pick-up Tracy (Amy Smart), a pretty helicopter pilot. Jon Lovitz & Kathy Najimy play a married couple with 2 kids & are on vacation in Sinclair's billion dollar casino resort. Owen (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is an NFL referee on the down-low after blowing a huge call in a critical game. Vera & Merill (Whoopi Goldberg, Lanei Chapman) are mother & daughter; deciding to meet each other for the 1st time in the casino lounge. Seth Green & Vince Vieluf play 2 brothers who happen to be con-men. And Enrico Pollini (Rowan Atkinson) is a sweet but narcoleptic Italian. They are ordinary people (in Vegas for various reasons). There's no comedy in the 1st 15 minutes (genius decision). However, once assembled, & debriefed on why they've won these odd-looking coins, the rat race begins.
Donald Sinclair has set them off running ... or walking, by foot, or bus, or car, plane, train, helicopter, horse, the list goes on. Once the $2 mill is implanted in their greedy minds, they all go crazy trying to find the quickest way to Silver City, New Mexico (some 700 miles away). Some of the scenarios that these people get into are hysterical: Vera & Merill ask a squirrel lady (Kathy Bates in a great cameo) on a dirt road for directions. Watch what happens when they decide 'not' to take those directions. Hot air balloons & flying cows can safely be said in the same sentence. Enrico Pollini gets himself involved with a transplanted heart that needs to get to its recipient immediately. After having been left in the desert with no clothes, Owen turns hijacker; finding himself trapped on a bus full of Lucille Ball impersonators on their way to a convention. What's funny about that is that this 110 minute film plays out like the scatterbrained plot of an "I Love Lucy" episode. After encountering some skinheads, Jon Lovitz' character somehow allows for Hitler's arrival at a WWII veteran's convention (you have to see it to believe it).
The last 10 minutes or so presents an acute change of pace from the previous 80 minutes. It's not a bad ending, but it's a sentimental one that doesn't fit perfectly with the tone of the rest of the film. That aside, I laughed a Hell of a lot during 'Rat Race'. Comedy is a hard sell for me (on film). So when it's done right, I have to exalt it. Everyone in the cast is great; practically losing their minds with wild abandon at the thought of getting to the $$ first. Rowan Atkinson is, perhaps, most impressive as the funny talking, funny walking narcoleptic. And John Cleese (with his huge, bright white veneers) always puts a smile on my face. 'Rat Race' can be classified as a chase comedy; and boy is it ever. It won't be for everyone. But using tactics such as saturation humor, absurd sight gags, one-liners, cynicism, puns, character desperation, slapstick, & other bursts of inspired humor, I recommend this film to anyone with a funny bone (basically 99.9% of the world).