Rat Race

[jonathan.e]

Director, Jerry Zucker’s return to the genre he conquered with movies such as Airplane and Naked Gun is not so much a "mis-fire" as a "why bother?". Justification for making this flick seems to be that there hadn’t been a big starry, ensemble chase comedy since Cannonball Run. Well, excuse me but that movie, like this one, was also very poor.

The plot, such as it is, concerns mega bucks tycoon Donald Sinclair (John Cleese) planting gold coins in slot machines in his casino in Vegas. The winners of these get to race 2,000 miles across country to an old railway station where $2million is stashed. First there gets the lot. All the while Cleese and his gambling cronies spy on the group and bet on the outcome. Really this is just an excuse for the familiar cast to go through their schtick in a variety of locales. Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr, Wayne Knight and Jon Lovitz are amongst the high visibility talent mugging it up in this ill conceived and laboured (1hr 50 mins) wannabe farce. Atkinson in particular should be ashamed of the sub-Mr Bean performance he phones in as the Italian, Pollini, gurning his way through like a poor man’s Benny Hill. I’ll leave it up to others to decide if his performance here borders on offensive caricature.

Even the God-like Jon Lovitz cannot escape the stink of failure that surrounds this movie except in one hilarious scene where they end up visiting the "Barbie Museum". I won’t spoil the joke but suffice it to say that you should savour this segment as nothing else in the movie measures up. Mention should also be made of Seth Green (Oz from "Buffy") who also aquits himself well in some funny scenes with a hot air balloon and an animatronic cow.

Undemanding teenagers may get something out of this flick but I think the rest of us will be bored by the bloated running time and transfixed by John Cleese’s absurd capped teeth whenever he occupies the screen. Seems like the Americans are happy to try and buy some of that Python magic but God forbid he should have less than perfect molars.

Half a dozen good belly laughs spread over nearly two hours is not enough and this particular "rat" found himself racing for the exit as soon as the credits rolled. Avoid.

[The Bear]

Quite right, mine is simply a two word review:

Absolute Rubbish.

Glad I didn't have to pay for it.(phew!)

[Nimak]

Ah well just Ordered the DVD - i'll see if it's any good..

I tend to like 80% of all films i watch (apart from lovey dovey crap)

Maybe i'm easily amused - LOL

[tj_director]

a user vote of 7.2 at imdb.com, and more than 2000 votes.

When a film gets reviews from both sides of the sprectrum, i'm usually intringued -- that's why i've ordered the DVD -- so we shall see. The film looks good on paper though :)

[Nimak]

Yes i'ved had mates watch it and they say it's very funny so i'm bewildered that people say it's not funny (no sense of humor? expecting something different?)

Ah well will be shipping Monday..

Oh and what's with all the movies going on cinema here when the Region 1 DVD's are either coming out or just come out at the same time as Cinema UK release?

[jonathan.e]

Check on Ebay in a couple of weeks for a flood of copies of this crap after people have seen it. Wait until then and pick it up for $5 if you must.

Saw this in a viewing theatre with Alexander Walker and his review (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/hottx/film/top_film.html?in_review_id=487361&in_review_text_id=444917) seems to reconcile with mine. Ordinarily I wouldn’t say that was a good thing but in this case I can endorse his opinion wholeheartedly.

[Tony Keats]

I pre-ordered this aswell, but I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to it or not TBH. It's hard to find truly fair-minded/unbiased judgements at the best of times, but it's even harder for dumb fare like Rat Race. I think it's safe to ignore the majority of bad reviews for silly/farcical movies such as this (especially zucker-esque projects) because these types of films have always been held in low critical esteem. Most of the slatings I've read have been of the "What a load of stupid nonesense, why did they bother" variety (which is more a dismissal of the whole genre than an objective view of the film itself)..

Not ALL comedy has to be subversive/ironic IMO, yet any film that tries to keep the tone light and refreshingly simplistic is immediately shot-down for being exactly that (and is actually being criticised for achieving its goals!). As this kind of snooty ignorance is quite commonplace (particularly on the web), it's virtually impossible to distinguish the dumb-but-enjoyable films from the genuinely bad ones.

Jonathan e- I read your review with great interest though, largely because you left 2 BIG rays-of-hope in it... Firstly you said that undemanding teenagers (a mindset I frequentlly adopt!) may appreciate it, and secondly you admitted that there are half a dozen belly laughs in it too (which isn't bad going in my book). I have to agree that 1hr 50mins sounds a bit excessive though.

Obviously I'm in no position to defend this film as I haven't seen it (and it may well be awful), but it wouldn't be the first time that a movie has been written-off because of supposed flaws (like crass ideals/stupidity) when in fact that's the main appeal for some people.

[jonathan.e]

Tony, I love dumb - Airplane, Naked Gun (first one) Me, Myself & Irene, Kingpin, Something About Mary etc but this is just sub-standard. Maybe it was the notes we were given at the screening, which had all the participants crowing about how this was the funniest script they’d ever read, that set the early warning signals off but it literally never gets going. The titles are awful, the jokes (90% of them) are telegraphed and Cleese and Atkinson’s performances have to be seen to be believed.

I will however toss you another bone by saying that the second funniest bit is one I had clean forgotten (does that mean it can’t have been that funny?) and features Kathy Bates as a roadside squirrel vendor whom two of the "rats" stop to ask for directions. Once you’ve seen it I think you’ll agree that this and the Barbie scene are standouts and if only the whole movie had been peppered with such gems then my review would have been wholly positive. However a couple of sketch length scenes doth not a feature film make and this is where Rat Race falls woefully short.

Even coming from a first time director this would be bad but when Jerry Zucker is helming it’s just plain pitiful.

[The Bear]

I think that when a film gets mixed reaction like this, then the best thing to do is to check it out at the cinema first.

I saw the trailer on tv last week and thought wow that looks really funny(Cleese/Atkinson). Then I saw it last night and oh dear. John Cleese seems to be saying all his lines with a forced insane smile all the time(I won't mention the teeth), and Rowan Atkinson bumbles through it doing his Italian version of Mr. Bean who pulls stupid faces.

I also agree with Jonathon.e that the whole film seems to be a series of sketches, which are then jammed together in no particular order and on the whole are poor and very predictable.

Indeed there are a couple of scenes which made me laugh, but they weren't enough to cover up the unfunny stuff and to stop me looking at everyone as they walked out thinking 'you just payed a fiver for that!!'

If you are thinking of buying this film, watch it at the cinema first and save yourself a tenner.

[Michael Brooke]

<B>I think it's safe to ignore the majority of bad reviews for silly/farcical movies such as this (especially zucker-esque projects) because these types of films have always been held in low critical esteem. </B>

Actually, <I>Airplane!, The Naked Gun, The Naked Gun 2 1/2</i> and <I>Dumb & Dumber</I> all got excellent reviews, for the most part.

Contrary to popular belief, critics can tell the difference between genuinely funny films and lazy, self-indulgent pap that insults its audience. The crucial difference is that they have to sit through more of it, so they're fussier - and entirely understandably!

[SilverLiner]

Just got back from watching this and have to admit it was pretty dire. The only decent characters seemed to be Seth Green and the other bloke. I was LMAO at the hitler scene and for some strange reason the comment John Cleese made about some butler type person "This man was unfortunatly born without any personality" absolutly brilliant :D

Other than that, it was pretty awful but it has to be seen to be believed.

[megabyte]

Saw this a month ago on a flight home from New York.
Lots of people laughing out loud at it.
Harmless Zany entertainment.
A rental though-would advise those who've bought to seek refuge in E-bay.
Conn

[HemsaaB]

Well I went to see this film last night... I have to admit, it did not live up to my expectations. Non the less, still a worth while "watch" for some fun. Overall as mentioned earlier... probably worth waiting for the rental window.

[SaZoom]

I quite liked it, although I won't be buying the DVD. Amusing in parts, though not something I'd watch again and again.

[McD]

Hardly a comedy classic - granted. But better than the other flicks that saw their way into the multiplexes last week - Rock Star, Soul Survivors & Domestic Disturbance. Sadly, only Rat Race has been given the heave-ho (locally at least) after Week One. Although Atkinson was an absolute disgrace, that's for sure.

I laughed. I didn't laugh and laugh. But I laughed.

'Daddy! I'm prairrie doggin' it!'

[tj_director]

well maybe it helps watching it at home, and after a few beers, but i certainly wouldn't class it as "it's so dire, it has to be seen to be believed"... i thought it was a fun film, with some good laughs, and it's got a great cast... i even found Cleese and Atkinson funny... certainly not as funny as they have been, but i personally wouldn't go around saying they were crap or anything.

I think this is more of a Watch at home kinda film, it just has that feel, it's not the kind of film i'd really enjoy so much at the big screen. So get the DVD, then trade it on..

My only real bad comment is that the ending is rather dissapointing, and lazy from a writing stand point. --

interesting note -- the DVD has something i've never seen before, it seems the Director and Writer simply couldn't do a commentary (got bored etc..), so they rang up all the cast members and we get to hear their conversations live. It certainly has novelty value!! but not all the speakers are brimming with releavant stuff to speak about. Still something different!! :cool:

anyway... 7/10 from me :)

[jonathan.e]

Originally posted by tj_director
it seems the Director and Writer simply couldn't do a commentary (got bored etc..)

So I guess they do know the kind of suffering they inflicted on the audience after all.

Career lows for all involved from the Director to the tea-boy.

[Arch Stanton]

Originally posted by tj_director


interesting note -- the DVD has something i've never seen before, it seems the Director and Writer simply couldn't do a commentary (got bored etc..), so they rang up all the cast members and we get to hear their conversations live. It certainly has novelty value!! but not all the speakers are brimming with releavant stuff to speak about. Still something different!! :cool:

anyway... 7/10 from me :)

You've not heard the commentry for Boogie nights and the Criterion Beastie Boys disc then?

[mr_woo]

i also really enjoyed this film, it was great fun and i had a good time watching it. The dvd itself wasnt too bad either

I even liked Cleese and Atkinson especially Cleese's teeth!

It's not laugh a minute or anything but there are some hilarious moments in the film which were worth it, especially the Barbie Museum :D

Also, for anyone else with the dvd check out the Giggles feature with Seth Green and Vince Vileuf trying to do a scene, it lasts for about 5 mins and is really funny.

Overall, not bad, it wont win any awards but i certainly enjoyed it and will keep the dvd.

[MichaelPalmer]

Why do I get the impression some people go to the cinema with a big stick up their arse?

I mean **** it aint no Shawshank redemption and it aint gonna win an oscar but it was *********** funny!

Some films are designed to be a good laugh and this does just that..... Go and watch it! Excellent Cast, crazy plot, funny as hell and makes you feel good.....

..... If it doesnt...

.....check your pulse..

...You must be dead! Go and watch a nice 'proper' film like Traffic (Which I enjoyed, diversity is great):D ) And marvel at its direction and cinematography..... Cup of tea anyone?

[jonathan.e]

Originally posted by MichaelPalmer
I mean **** it aint no Shawshank


****pauses to remove stick from rear ****...apt choice of phrase considering this movie stank the place out.

Glad you enjoyed it - clearly it found it’s target audience.

[MichaelPalmer]

****pauses to remove stick from rear ****...apt choice of phrase considering this movie stank the place out.


Dear God..... Are you Donald Sinclairs lawyer?

Your dry wit brings tears to my eyes.....You are beyond salvation...

....I bet you hate comedys...... I bet you cried when you saw how crude American Pie was.......And you hate RoadTrip......And I bet you despise Jim Carey

And put that stick back up there, taking it out made no difference and I am sure you miss it

[jonathan.e]

Once again for those in the cheap seats.....


Originally posted by jonathan.e
I love dumb - Airplane, Naked Gun (first one) Me, Myself & Irene, Kingpin, Something About Mary etc but this is just sub-standard.

[Just Call Me Wanda]

Painful.

Sporadically funny. Awfully mis-cast: Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg + her daughter.

Jon Lovitz and Seth Green are watchable but apart from that the film is poo.

[Tony Keats]

Watched my copy this morning and I was actually pleasantly surprised by the film. It's certainly eventful and lots of fun, so I can't understand all the trashings. I agree that the opening 20 mins seemed a little flat, but only because Zucker made a real effort to properly establish the plot and introduce all the main characters.

Jonathan e- I strongly disagree with many of the points made in your review, but don't take any of my following comments personally (I think there's been enough animosity in this thread already!). You called it "sub-standard" though, in what way is it below average? It has a top cast playing their roles with real conviction, the writing was apt for the genre and the stunts looked great.

John Cleese's teeth are intentionally bizarre looking and it's not because of U.S vanity like you suggested.
Atkinson's performance would only be an "offensive caricature" if it was a serious film. Strict ideals relating to realism or stereotyping/racism aren't relevant in farcical comedy (IMO anyway). I thought both Cleese and Atkinson were fine myself and their performances were exactly what Zucker expected from them.

"Career lows for all involved" was WAY out of line, largely because the cast featured Whoopi Goldberg (of Theodore Rex/Burn Hollywood Burn fame), Wayne Knight (Chameleon/My favourite Martian) and John Cleese (Parting Shots/Bullseye). So that statement's indefensibly innacurate!.

It does sound like I'm attacking you Jonathan, but that's not my intention. You watched it in a theatre with (what sounds like) a snobbish crowd, so it's no surprise that the movie died in that environment (especially with the exposition-heavy opening). I've noticed certain critics suffer from this haughty syndrome perpetually (without need of the crowd), but it's not always easy to tell if you've not seen the flick yourself. What I'm really saying is, a fair-minded appraisal of Rat Race shouldn't feature the misleading elements that your review did, as it will put people off (even though it's a movie they would have otherwise bought and enjoyed).

It's a silly film, it's unoriginal, it's low-brow and more than anything it's a guilty pleasure, but that's the whole point!. In any case, IMDB still has it at 7.2 (with nearly 3000 votes), so it's clear that there are plenty of people able to appreciate light-hearted fluff for being precisely that.

[jonathan.e]

Tony I don’t take your comments personally but I do stand by all of mine. In the past I have written favourable (very favourable actually) reviews for both American Pie and Big Daddy so I’m no snob when it comes to multiplex comedy. Please enlighten me though as to what was "misleading" in my review, although if any of those same comments put anyone off buying this dreck then that would give me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

My only consolation when I left the theatre was that at least I hadn’t paid to see this - others will not be so fortunate.

BTW, most UK reviewers take time to single out Atkinson in particular for the excruciating and horribly stereotyped performance he gives so it aint just me.

[Tony Keats]

Posted by jonathan.e
Tony I don’t take your comments personally but I do stand by all of mine. In the past I have written favourable (very favourable actually) reviews for both American Pie and Big Daddy so I’m no snob when it comes to multiplex comedy.
Neither of those are farcical comedies though, so I don't think it proves your case and it was your "Why bother" comment that tainted your review. Your post suggests that the circumstances you watched the film in probably played a big part in your assessment anyway (and there were inconsistencies in your initial write-up).

Please enlighten me though as to what was "misleading" in my review, although if any of those same comments put anyone off buying this dreck then that would give me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Well, all of the bits I quoted in my previous post were misleading (career lows/sub-standard etc). My main point was that you're discouraging people who would have probably enjoyed it, so that shouldn't cause a fuzzy feeling.

BTW, most UK reviewers take time to single out Atkinson in particular for the excruciating and horribly stereotyped performance he gives

Yes they do, wheras most of the public (especially the ones who haven't been unduly influenced) will just be entertained by his OTT silliness and won't share the analytical attitude of some reviewers (although I admit there are exceptions on both sides of that argument).

[jonathan.e]

Tony, honestly, if you’re entertained by Rowan Atkinson doing some unholy combination of Mr Bean and Benny Hill along with sundry other "stars" slumming it then I’m happy for you. Personally I thought it was ****-poor and I don’t know what else to say about it other than what I already have.

[Tony Keats]

Posted by jonathan.e
Tony, honestly, if you’re entertained by Rowan Atkinson doing some unholy combination of Mr Bean and Benny Hill along with sundry other "stars" slumming it then I’m happy for you. Personally I thought it was ****-poor

I don't think it's a film I'd wholeheartedly recommend either, but there's a world of difference between a decent enough time-filler and the sort of awful catastrophe you've tried to make it out to be (which is the driving force behind this argument).

Whether I'm entertained by Atkinson's performance isn't really the issue, although I'd say it's well-suited to this type of movie and wouldn't have been out of place in Airplane or Naked Gun (films you say you enjoyed). Maybe your tastes have changed over time, I don't know, but if you didn't happen to like his style of acting (or the film as a whole), unqualified mauling isn't the most helpful way of conveying those views.

I don’t know what else to say about it other than what I already have.

We can agree to disagree if you want, but I believe your review gives a distorted impression of the film and I think your comments got less and less grounded as the thread progressed. In fairness, other people with a similar outlook were equally unreasonable (calling it "absolute rubbish" and "poo"!).

That kind of hysteria just isn't appropriate IMO as Rat Race is a methodically made film with a few memorable highlights (tj directors 7/10 is probably about right). Factors such as low expectations may push it up to a 7.5 or an 8 (that's what happened with me), but negative influences (and a personal dislike for the tone) could sensibly lower it to a 5 or a 6.

I honestly can't follow the logic of some of the more aggresive remarks though, but I get the feeling some people just love a moan and don't let objectivity stand in their way...

[jonathan.e]

Tony, it comes down to opinions. I thought it was one of the laziest, most poorly made comedies I’d ever seen and my review reflected this. You obviously didn’t. My comments were measured throughout the thread, save for a couple of flip remarks halfway through, so I take issue with your "less grounded" jab.

Suggest you recognise that I, and others hated this rubbish, you didn’t - and simply move on.

[Tony Keats]

Posted by jonathan.e
Tony, it comes down to opinions. I thought it was one of the laziest, most poorly made comedies I’d ever seen and my review reflected this.

I don't want to drag this out any longer, but a persons opinion shouldn't blind them to the facts of the matter. As farcical comedies go, it's a fairly accomplished piece of work (and certainly isn't poorly made).

My comments were measured throughout the thread, save for a couple of flip remarks halfway through, so I take issue with your "less grounded" jab.
Suggest you recognise that I, and others hated this rubbish, you didn’t - and simply move on.

You've misunderstood the basis of my argument though. It's fine for people to like/dislike whatever they want and everyone has different tastes. In this instance, you went way beyond merely stating an opinion and cited specific elements as flaws, when in fact, they're completely intentional.

I hated Being John Malkovich for example, but I wouldn't call it sub-standard in a review (or go on about career lows) because those things aren't true. I accept that you didn't enjoy Rat Race, but your review (and subsequent comments) give a false account of the movies content.

[jonathan.e]

I, respectfully, disagree with you and my previous comments and review stand.

[Terry]

i was looking forward to this but was so disappointed,some nice ideas but it just didn't work for some reason.i thought it was very poor

[McD]

Hey, I wouldn't go so far as to recommend Rat Race to anyone (although I didn't hate it), but... having just watched Evolution on DVD, Rat Race felt like Spinal Tap in comparison.

There is a lot worse than Rat Race out there. Of the 14 films currently showing at my multiplex, seven of them aren't as good.

Better than: Rock Star, Domestic Disturbance, Long Time Dead, Soul Survivors, Black Hawk Down (ok, this one has its fans), Behind Enemy Lines, The Glass House

Not up there with: Made, Vanilla Sky, LOTR, Last Orders, Monsoon Wedding, Mulholland Drive.

It's sad that I've seen all those, however!

[mjb1975]

well, the DVD turned up in the week and I've just finished it. OMG! It's on Ebay right now!!

That was, quite possibly, one of the worst films I have ever had the displeasure of sitting through. Amy Smart did keep my interest though!! (cor!).

Seriously, it is awful. I smiled a couple of times and laughed once or twice to see if it made things any better - sadly my theory didn't work. I was hoping it might get better but, if anything, it got worse the more it went on. Performances were ok I suppose, but it does make me wonder why on earth people like John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cuba Gooding Jr even considered joining a project like this - did they read the script?!

It was painful sitting through it - as originally mentioned by Jonathan E above, I do like silly movies such as Dumb & Dumber, etc. (my fav comedy of all time is easily Airplane!), but this is simply not funny, enjoyable, worth the time I've lost from my life, etc.....

I do maintain that people should check things out for themselves - indeed, this is what I did with this - but this one stinks to high heaven. AVOID.

[Cirrus888]

I've been wanting to see this for awhile now primarily because I like zucker's airplane and naked gun. However zucker has churned out more crap than I can shake a stick at and its no wonder 70% of his films never see the light of day in cinemas.

Rat Race is plain boring without any laughs whatsoever ... rubbish rubbish rubbish.

[mr starface]

Resurrection time for this one....

Have caught this film again recently a few times as its been repeated a fair bit on Sky and its hard to understand the reaction this received at the time on here.

Think this is one of my favourite comdies of the last ten years, never fails to make me smile and after a slow start keeps up such a frenetic pace. Having such a wide range of characters helps keep things from getting stale (particularly like Seth Green and his brother).

Highlights for me are any the bits about buying a squirrel and the hitler car or anything with Seth and Bro.

I even didnt mind Rowan Atkinsons character and I hated Mr Bean.

Guess I'm alone in appreciating this one but then again I loved Cannonball Run as well!

[Roberto]

I haven't even got round to watching this yet. But if i came across it i will try it

But what’s so interesting is the thread itself. So many old names here, and they would write full paragraphs on why they loved or hated a film, even if it was a small film like this one. That was truly the golden age of these forums when we had the time and inclination to write about something we were so passionate about……movies

Nowadays its just

It’s Great, Meh or It’s Rubbish. And most of us are no more then blu-ray collectors these days. I'm totally guilty of it too and it's a bit shameful really

[The Bear]

"It's rubbish" is all it deserves frankly.