Rating: 
Summary: Insanity at it's finest.
Review: Rat Race is probably the funniest movie of 2001, if not the funniest in over a decade! Rowan Atkinson, Seth Green, and Jon Lovitz put on amazingly hilarious parts and make this movie a wonderful experience. If you aren't sure yet, rent this movie first. It's guaranteed that you'll want to buy it afterwards.
Rating: 
Summary: Dude, Where's my Road Trip Race?
Review: Once again my boyfriend and I are off to the movies! We've been wanting to see Rat Race for a while now, but ended up seeing other movies instead. As my reviews show, we went to The Others and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but not Rat Race. For some reason we kept putting this one off, really wanted to see it, but went to others instead. Now we finally got our chance. There was a fair amount of people in the theater, which was nice; a comedy is much more fun with a big crowd. Now I'm a Seth Green fan, and since he, as well as Whoopie, Cuba Gooding Jr., John Cleese, and many more recognizable faces were in this movie, I was sure I at least had to see it! Now, I don't like to give things away in my reviews, so I won't tell you anything too revealing. I'll let you have a taste of the plot so you know what it's about, but really there isn't much plot. Here's the plot: A bunch of people are selected at random to be offered the chance to get Two million dollars if they are the first ones to get to a certain bag of money in New Mexico. As they are starting at a large casino in Vegas, this entire thing is a set up by some high rolling gamblers. Now of course the fun begins as the characters start their wild adventures on their way to the money. Nothing is simple of course, and they face many obstacles and ridiculous situations on the way. My boyfriend and I counted many situations in which someone probably should have been dead. But this is a cartoon-like comedy and even though it's not as unrealistic as wearing a rocket pack and shooting yourself into a mountain and living, it's honestly not far off. And without revealing too much, I'll say keep your eyes out for a situation you could probably say is darn similar. Ok, so you know the basic plot, now would you like to know what kind of humor to expect? Well I gave this movie a 4/5, my boyfriend would probably have given it a 5/5. On our way out I commented that Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was definitely funnier, but this was still good. He said he liked this a lot better. It has a lot to do with the kind of humor in the movie. I like a movie where you have to think a second to get the joke, or the joke is funny because it's making fun of some other movie, or many reasons, but physical slapstick humor is not my favorite. Of course, he prefers something to point and laugh at. He has a serious job and doesn't particularly want to be serious the rest of the time. This movie was right up his alley with a bunch of simplistic, yet effective jokes. His favorite movie is Road Trip, and we recently saw Dude Where's My Car, which he enjoyed quite well. This movie has a couple people from the cast of Road Trip, making him very happy, plus a similar sense of humor, except it doesn't have the "Green" touch. Instead it has Mr. Bean. Personally I can't stand Mr. Bean, and that's the biggest downfall of this movie. My boyfriend agrees with me on this point, but obviously if you like Mr. Bean, then you'll like that part of the movie. If you want to bring children to this movie, I'd be inclined to say go ahead. There were several kids in the theater and they seemed to enjoy the movie. I didn't see much profanity or any sexual jokes. It's mainly dumb humor with some physical, fall-on-your-face kind of jokes. So don't take your three-year-old, because she'll be bored and crying or maybe entertained by the loud noises and bright colors, but your eight-year-old will probably love it. It's not the best movie out this year by my opinion, but it's definitely worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: What a change of pace!!
Review: I love to see famous faces all on one movie!!! Why the negative reviews??? I thought This was one of the funniest movies I had seen in a long time since Dirty Work!! BUT the best thing about this DVD is the Outakes and the extras.. man, oh man... that was funnier than the movie!! I would purchase it just for the outtakes!!! "Show Me the Money!!"
Rating: 
Summary: "A great time-killer..."
Review: A delightful descendent to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Rat Race employs many of the techniques Stanley Kramer used to mold his "comedy to end all comedies". This movie, while lacking in style, which Kramer's film had an abundance of, still generates enough laughs to give you a good time. A great time-killer indeed, it's basically It's a Mad, Mad... condensed into a two-hour package. you definitely won't be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: An Old, Old, Old Idea, with New Cast; It Worked -- Barely
Review: You are having a good time at a casino in Las Vegas, and you are invited by a manager to join in a game -- a game to get 2 million dollars in CASH. And the rule is simple: no rule is the rule, and the first one gets it. But, wait here. The hotel manager is John Cleese, or Basil Fawlty with false teeth. Do you believe in HIM? For my part, I would think of running away from there. "Rat Race" depends on this single concept, but it often takes itself too seriously; actually, it shouldn't have, because we know anyway what we see is a series of set-pieces with the obvious intention of making us laugh, and on that level the film fairly succeeds, especially when it opts for politically incorrect, physically outrageous gags, such as visiting "the Barbie Museum." Another favorite of mine is a bus packed with "I Love Lucy" look-alikes (including director Zucker's own mother ... what is he thinking?), and Cleese as always gives his trademark 'polite but arrogant' gesture, creating most unaccountably funny moment with his sham gentleman smile. One of the good part of "Rat Race" is its cast assorted for this chance. You can see Rowan Atkinson speaking with a strange Italian accent, making an Oxbridge pair with Cleese. Two Oscar winners, Whoopie Goldberg and Cuba Gooding Jr., are here, plus one cameo from another Oscar winner, who gives a very nice piece of advice to Whoopie Goldberg on the way. Keeping the today's young audience in mind, the film gives Seth Green, Amy Smart, and Breckin Meyer, three of whom also appeared in "Road Trip." Paying respect to "Saturday Night Live" tradition, we got Jon Lovitz, who, unlike his short but great turn in "Happiness," is sadly wasted again. For some of older movie fans, director Jerry Zucker's name is fondly associated with films like "Airplane!" with his brother David, and their partner Jim Abrahams, but one might be afraid they lost touch with today's audience after watching "Rat Race." Certainly, the film looks old-fashioned sometimes, and for those who enjoyed "There's Something about Mary" and "American Pie," the film seems to be pulling punches. Some ideas will be definitely deemed a bad example of clithe, and as if to prove that, again we must see a poor cow humiliated (how many time did we see this animal treated that way -- "Say It Isn't So" "Me Myself and Irene" and even the Cohen Brothers's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" However, the worst is that the film suddenly throws away the idea of "laughing at the characters," and tries to turn those cardboard characters into a bunch of real, living people at the end -- too obviously feel-good finale is something I sincerely deplore, because, after all, it's a slapstick comedy! Please no more moral message. As many people have already pointed out rightly, the idea of Stanley Kramer's "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" is brought back with a new setting. But, wait a minute! Please note that Kramer is usually, and should absolutely be, remembered as the man who directed "On the Beach" and "Judgment at Nuremberg," but not that one.
Rating:
Summary: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAAHAAA!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This movie is one of a kind! Combined with talents like John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Lovitz, Rowan Atkinson, Seth Green, Kathy Najimy, and many more, it can't miss! 10 people are sent off on a race to reach Silver City. Whoever gets there first wins the $2,000,000 prize. Sounds easy, right? WRONG! On the way, they get into all sorts of "Oh! Just my luck!" kind of situations. For instance, Lovitz burns his middle finger on his cigarette lighter. To cool it off, he sticks his middle finger out the car window, while a group of lesbian bike riders drive by. And, as if things couldn't get worse, he yells [on accident] "I really like your dyke! I mean....bike!" John Cleese's introduction is worth the price of the DVD alone. His laugh is hysterical in the way he over-OVER reacts to his own jokes. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! I couldn't hold in my laughter! Bottom line, [or should we say "cut to the chase" AAAAAAAAHHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!!!!], is that this movie is perfect for those that loved wacky comedies like FIERCE CREATURES, AIRPLANE, THE NAKED GUN, etc. By the way, there is even a part on the DVD where the writer and director call up the cast members and record their conversation for the DVD. For the few seconds this is unbeknownst to the actors. This was due to the fact that they had nothing much to say for a feature-length commentary. Just about every main cast members is called without warning!
Rating:
Summary: By far the best comedy of 2001.
Review: In my opinion, this is the funniest movie of the year, and arguably one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson are on top form as usual ( the brits are always the top comedians) and are at their hilarious best. I mean, there are so many hilarious scenarios in this movie, I can barely name them all. I'd recommend this to anyone who's in need of a good laugh, because you'll be laughing a lot more than you'll expect to.
Rating: 
Summary: Comedic talent wasted in loose remake of '...Mad World'
Review: Take Jerry Zucker, one of the men behind movies like Airplane and The Naked Gun. Use as a main ingredient a tried and true comedy formula. Add in comic talents like John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson and Whoopi Goldberg. Season with some other fine actors. The result should be a laugh feast, right? Not this time, folks. Rat Race falls pitifully flat on the whole. The scenes that are painfully funny are few compared to the one that are simply painful. Rat Race begins in Las Vegas. Nick [Breckin Meyer] is there to attend a friend's bachelor party. He's straight-laced and appears not ave an ounce of larceny in him. Vera [Goldberg] is there to meet her long lost daughter. Blaine and Duane [Vince Vieluf and Seth Green] are two con artists trying to make some easy money. Randy [Jon Lovitz] and his family are on vacation. Owen [Cuba Gooding Jr.] is a referee who recently made the worst call in NFL history. Finally, there is Enrico [Atkinson], a completely spaced out tourist from Italy. These characters' paths cross when each one finds an odd gold coin in a slot machine. The coins mean that they have been randomly selected to enter a special contest, set up by the casino's bizarre owner, Donald Sinclair [Cleese]. Several hundred miles away in New Mexico there is a locker inside which is two million dollars. Each contestant is given a key to it. The first one there claims the prize. As Sinclair says, the only rule is that there are no rules. Off the contestants go on a no-holds-barred stampede of greed and deception. Rat Race is loosely based on Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a movie made forty years ago. It starred many of the comic geniuses of its time, and it a classic. The makers of Rat Race should have studied their inspiration a little more closely. Greed and avarice make great subjects for humor. Mad World stays true to its theme of money's power to corrupt right up to its climax. Rat Race makes a complete turn at the end. I won't give it away, but I will say that the sentiments expressed, while good and noble, belong in an entirely different movie. It's an unnecessary copout After his early successes at comedy, Jerry Zucker concentrated on more serious movies. Judging from Rat Race, it seems his comedic genius is rusty. Sight gags are repeated over and over again. The first time you see two idiots in a car sail over a cliff, it's funny. After you see this happen five or six times, you start to think that someone didn't have enough ideas to fill a whole movie. The cast tries hard. Most members try too hard, as if attempting to outdo their work in previous roles. One exception is John Cleese, whose performance is right on. Seth Green and Vince Vieluf outshine their more famous co-stars overall. Maybe it's because their characters get to remain true to their greedy, idiotic selves right up to the bitter end. They display a consistency that is sadly lacking in the rest of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: "I'm Prairie Doggin'!...."
Review: Well, where should I begin?. I gave this movie two stars, but it would be more like two and a half. It's far from being a good movie, but it is definitley a pleasant time killer. It reminds me of past screwball comedies like "It's A Mad,Mad,Mad World", and "Cannonball Run". The movie was directed by comic genius Jerry Zucker, he of the "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" fame along with his brother. The movie has an all star cast : Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., John Cleese, Jon Lovitz, Rowan Atkinson, Wayne Knight, Seth(I'm Everywhere)Green, and a few others. Plus there are cameos by Kathy Bates and Smash Mouth. The plot of the movie has a Las Vegas millionaire(Cleese, who sports some mighty fake teeth),who concots a race for these 5 people and whoever is with them, to get to Silver City, New Mexico and find the $2 million dollars he has placed in the Silver City Station. What ensues is the teams racing to get there first. Not exactly original. Far from it. But still, it does have it's moments. There are a few things that are quite funny. Some just funny, and some over the top ridiculous funny. But there is this feeling throughout the whole entire movie that it could of been so,so,so much better. "Rat Race" isn't a complete waste at all. It is entertaining and mindless fun. Is that such a bad thing for 2 hours?. No, it is not. The ending of the film isn't what one would've hoped it would be. But then again, would everybody be happy at all of the different ways it could of ended?. Don't think so. Just sit back and know that you don't have to think at all when watching "Rat Race". If you do that, then you'll probably have a decent time.
Rating:
Summary: very funny movie
Review: this movie hilarious the first time you see it. however, the second and third times you watch the movie, a lot of the jokes aren't as funny anymore. also, ending wasn't great. all-in-all, a good movie.
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