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Rat Race
"There's only one rule: there are no rules!"
Hands down, this has to be one of the funniest
scenes in cinematic history, and I'll try not to
ruin the final joke for you.....Jon Lovitz is
racing his family across the interstate in Hitler's
stolen car (don't ask!). He comes upon a biker
chick who rides up alongside the car. As she does
this, Lovitz burns his middle finger which causes
him to mistakenly raise it to her. Next thing you
know, there are dozens of angry biker chicks who
force the car off the road, where it crashes in
the one place you don't want to be seen riding in
a Nazi car. The final joke is so uproariously funny
that I had tears in my eyes from laughing too hard.
Unfortunately, that scene is probably the only
part of the movie you'll laugh at.
Rat Race brings back the grand, long forgotten
era of big chase ensemble slapstick comedy. In
essence, it is a homage to to the great It's a Mad,
Mad, Mad, Mad World which pitted Hollywood's
greatest comics against each other in a race to find
hidden treasure. Unfortunately this time around,
I wouldn't dare call all this cast "Hollywood's greatest".
Donald Sinclair (John Cleese) is an eccentric Vegas
tycoon that is out to keep his hotel on top by
inventing a new sport to entertain his highest
rollers: A human Rat Race.
Six people are randomly chosen to partake in this
contest. They include Vera Baker (Whoopie Goldberg),
a Mother finding her adopted daughter after all these
years; Owen Temleton (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), an NFL
coach who blew the most important game of the year;
Randy Pear (Jon Lovitz), who can't resist a gambling
wager; and The Cody brothers (Seth Green and Vince Vieluf),
who ride cross country causing problems wherever
they go. Finally, there is Mr.Pollini (Rowan Akinson
from "Bean") a cheerful, narcoleptic Italian who
becomes more annoying than funny throughout the film.
The contest is simple: There is a two million dollar
jackpot resting in a duffel bag, inside a locker, in
Silver City, New Mexico - 563 miles away. The first
person to reach it, gets it all TAX FREE.
The rest of the film continues with assorted physical
comedy gags that never really hit their mark. Whether
our contestants get caught traveling in a bus full
of "I Love Lucy" wannabees, or riding in a super
sonic jet car, the film entertains us with its hairbrain
situations rather than its humor.
This is my first official Paramount Review based
on early screener product. I am very excited about
reviewing more Paramount titles as the studio has a
reputation of putting out consistently great anamorphic
titles. Rat Race is no exception to the
Paramount rule. The transfer is absolutely exquisite.
Picture is very clean, crisp and clear. There is
absolutely no visible grain to be seen anywhere.
The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix sounds great, although
most of the sound is across the front speakers, with
effect noise popping up through the rears when needed.
In other words, the soundtrack sounds terrific but
this is nothing you'll be showing off as demo.
Special Features
Once again, here is an example where the Special
Features on a DVD actually turn out to be as or
more fun than the movie itself.
I am always skeptical about Making of featurettes,
because you never know if they are going to overly
interesting or just dull, promotional fluff pieces.
I actually found The Making of Rat Race to be
loads of fun -- that is -- as soon as you can get past
all the actors kissing up to each other by saying how
much they love one another.
Everyone who was part of this film has something to
contribute to this 22 minute documentary. John Cleese
exclaims this was the best film he had been offered
in 20 years. Cuba Gooding refers to the filming
as the most physically and mentally demanding of all
his films, but admits that everyday is like going to
a circus with the huge ensemble of comics.
Director Jerry Zucker talks about why he was lured
to making this film. We also see frequent footage
of Jerry behind the camera putting the scenes together.
In fact, the whole process of keeping track of all
the characters became so difficult, that Jerry had
to use different colored cards for each character when
laying out the storyboard.
Want to see how the rocket car scene was filmed?
An empty car chasing Seth Green? How about keeping
40 Lucy extras in line? It's all shown here! Plus,
as a bonus, we see how Jerry's Mom was used in yet
another Zucker film (with rememberances of past).
Moving right along....
There are 6 Deleted Scenes that are presented
with an individual introduction by Jerry Zucker. Jerry
explains that when you usually shoot something its funny,
but not necessarily funny in context. Most all the
cuts are very small except for a longer cut involving
Cuba Gooding and a moving house that Zucker painfully
removed from the film. In another cut sequence, we
see a group of Lucy impersonators being greeted by a
busload of Ricky Ricardo impersonators.
My favorite addition to any DVD is the Gag Reel,
which is usually something put together by the Editors
for the private enjoyment of the cast during the film's
wrap party. This is a very funny 3-minute collage of
the film's most noted flubs set to hip music.
An Exclusive Interview with Director Jerry
Zucker and Writer Andy Breckman brings together
two individuals that fit each other's humor like
a glove. These overgrown children talk about the
script, how they mapped out the physical stunts that
were involved, as well as the task of creating
interesting characters and casting those characters.
Now HERE'S something you don't see too often....
Jerry and Andy call the actors gives you
the choice of selecting 13 of the primary stars
of this film and hearing the Director and Writer
making phone calls to these individuals at the
most unlikely moment. It's a great way of getting
some spur-of-the-moment commentary for the DVD.
Jerry Zucker wanted to include this little segment,
Giggles, because he wanted to show what
happens when you keep the camera rolling when
actors flub their lines. Case in point -- Seth
Green and Vince Vieluf can't seem to get their
lines out without cracking each other up. The
camera never stops rolling as these two actors try
to get their act together.
Finally, the film's original Theatrical Trailer
is included.
Final Thoughts
You will either like or dislike Rat Race
depending on how you approach the film. In making
a movie that reflects the grand style of a bygone
era of big slapstick comedy, this film somewhat
succeeds. It's a fun movie to watch. So was the
exact case with It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
However, coming from 1/3 the team of Zucker/Zucker
and Abrahams, who brought us Naked Gun, Airplane
and Top Secret, I can't believe this Jerry
Zucker film is as unfunny as it is.
If you gave ME the opportunity to make this movie,
I'd use the same premise but use Hollywood's greatest
cast of comedians (and I would use dozens of them) and
put lots of unexpected cameos in the film by some of
today's biggest stars. THAT would be the ultimate
homage to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Should you buy or should you rent? I bought it
sight unseen and I am not overly disappointed.
Paramount has put together a very nice Collector's
Edition packed with really FUN extras. I mean, none
of the added material should be skipped over. Those
that wish to be more cautious may better opt renting
the movie first.
Release Date: January 29, 2002
Rat Race
"There's only one rule: there are no rules!"
Hands down, this has to be one of the funniest
scenes in cinematic history, and I'll try not to
ruin the final joke for you.....Jon Lovitz is
racing his family across the interstate in Hitler's
stolen car (don't ask!). He comes upon a biker
chick who rides up alongside the car. As she does
this, Lovitz burns his middle finger which causes
him to mistakenly raise it to her. Next thing you
know, there are dozens of angry biker chicks who
force the car off the road, where it crashes in
the one place you don't want to be seen riding in
a Nazi car. The final joke is so uproariously funny
that I had tears in my eyes from laughing too hard.
Unfortunately, that scene is probably the only
part of the movie you'll laugh at.
Rat Race brings back the grand, long forgotten
era of big chase ensemble slapstick comedy. In
essence, it is a homage to to the great It's a Mad,
Mad, Mad, Mad World which pitted Hollywood's
greatest comics against each other in a race to find
hidden treasure. Unfortunately this time around,
I wouldn't dare call all this cast "Hollywood's greatest".
Donald Sinclair (John Cleese) is an eccentric Vegas
tycoon that is out to keep his hotel on top by
inventing a new sport to entertain his highest
rollers: A human Rat Race.
Six people are randomly chosen to partake in this
contest. They include Vera Baker (Whoopie Goldberg),
a Mother finding her adopted daughter after all these
years; Owen Temleton (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), an NFL
coach who blew the most important game of the year;
Randy Pear (Jon Lovitz), who can't resist a gambling
wager; and The Cody brothers (Seth Green and Vince Vieluf),
who ride cross country causing problems wherever
they go. Finally, there is Mr.Pollini (Rowan Akinson
from "Bean") a cheerful, narcoleptic Italian who
becomes more annoying than funny throughout the film.
The contest is simple: There is a two million dollar
jackpot resting in a duffel bag, inside a locker, in
Silver City, New Mexico - 563 miles away. The first
person to reach it, gets it all TAX FREE.
The rest of the film continues with assorted physical
comedy gags that never really hit their mark. Whether
our contestants get caught traveling in a bus full
of "I Love Lucy" wannabees, or riding in a super
sonic jet car, the film entertains us with its hairbrain
situations rather than its humor.
This is my first official Paramount Review based
on early screener product. I am very excited about
reviewing more Paramount titles as the studio has a
reputation of putting out consistently great anamorphic
titles. Rat Race is no exception to the
Paramount rule. The transfer is absolutely exquisite.
Picture is very clean, crisp and clear. There is
absolutely no visible grain to be seen anywhere.
The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix sounds great, although
most of the sound is across the front speakers, with
effect noise popping up through the rears when needed.
In other words, the soundtrack sounds terrific but
this is nothing you'll be showing off as demo.
Special Features
Once again, here is an example where the Special
Features on a DVD actually turn out to be as or
more fun than the movie itself.
I am always skeptical about Making of featurettes,
because you never know if they are going to overly
interesting or just dull, promotional fluff pieces.
I actually found The Making of Rat Race to be
loads of fun -- that is -- as soon as you can get past
all the actors kissing up to each other by saying how
much they love one another.
Everyone who was part of this film has something to
contribute to this 22 minute documentary. John Cleese
exclaims this was the best film he had been offered
in 20 years. Cuba Gooding refers to the filming
as the most physically and mentally demanding of all
his films, but admits that everyday is like going to
a circus with the huge ensemble of comics.
Director Jerry Zucker talks about why he was lured
to making this film. We also see frequent footage
of Jerry behind the camera putting the scenes together.
In fact, the whole process of keeping track of all
the characters became so difficult, that Jerry had
to use different colored cards for each character when
laying out the storyboard.
Want to see how the rocket car scene was filmed?
An empty car chasing Seth Green? How about keeping
40 Lucy extras in line? It's all shown here! Plus,
as a bonus, we see how Jerry's Mom was used in yet
another Zucker film (with rememberances of past).
Moving right along....
There are 6 Deleted Scenes that are presented
with an individual introduction by Jerry Zucker. Jerry
explains that when you usually shoot something its funny,
but not necessarily funny in context. Most all the
cuts are very small except for a longer cut involving
Cuba Gooding and a moving house that Zucker painfully
removed from the film. In another cut sequence, we
see a group of Lucy impersonators being greeted by a
busload of Ricky Ricardo impersonators.
My favorite addition to any DVD is the Gag Reel,
which is usually something put together by the Editors
for the private enjoyment of the cast during the film's
wrap party. This is a very funny 3-minute collage of
the film's most noted flubs set to hip music.
An Exclusive Interview with Director Jerry
Zucker and Writer Andy Breckman brings together
two individuals that fit each other's humor like
a glove. These overgrown children talk about the
script, how they mapped out the physical stunts that
were involved, as well as the task of creating
interesting characters and casting those characters.
Now HERE'S something you don't see too often....
Jerry and Andy call the actors gives you
the choice of selecting 13 of the primary stars
of this film and hearing the Director and Writer
making phone calls to these individuals at the
most unlikely moment. It's a great way of getting
some spur-of-the-moment commentary for the DVD.
Jerry Zucker wanted to include this little segment,
Giggles, because he wanted to show what
happens when you keep the camera rolling when
actors flub their lines. Case in point -- Seth
Green and Vince Vieluf can't seem to get their
lines out without cracking each other up. The
camera never stops rolling as these two actors try
to get their act together.
Finally, the film's original Theatrical Trailer
is included.
Final Thoughts
You will either like or dislike Rat Race
depending on how you approach the film. In making
a movie that reflects the grand style of a bygone
era of big slapstick comedy, this film somewhat
succeeds. It's a fun movie to watch. So was the
exact case with It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
However, coming from 1/3 the team of Zucker/Zucker
and Abrahams, who brought us Naked Gun, Airplane
and Top Secret, I can't believe this Jerry
Zucker film is as unfunny as it is.
If you gave ME the opportunity to make this movie,
I'd use the same premise but use Hollywood's greatest
cast of comedians (and I would use dozens of them) and
put lots of unexpected cameos in the film by some of
today's biggest stars. THAT would be the ultimate
homage to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Should you buy or should you rent? I bought it
sight unseen and I am not overly disappointed.
Paramount has put together a very nice Collector's
Edition packed with really FUN extras. I mean, none
of the added material should be skipped over. Those
that wish to be more cautious may better opt renting
the movie first.
Release Date: January 29, 2002
It was a perfect drive-in, birthday movie.
