Movie Review: Rat Race

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: A couple scenes made me laugh

Cons: Poor character development and stupid climax

The Bottom Line:

Poor imitation

That isn't really funny

Stick with the classic

Race Away from this Rat

This is one movie I was sorry to miss when it first came out. I am a huge fan of the 60's classic comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and Rat Race was obviously a modern day reworking of the classic. Couple that with the all star cast, and I thought it could be a winner. Sadly, I was mistaken.

Vegas - a city where millions go hoping to get rich. And for nine lucky people, that just might come true. While playing the slots, each of these people won a special gold coin inviting them to lunch. At the lunch, they learn they have been selected to participate in a race for $2 million dollars. All they have to do is be the first to get to a locker in the train depot in Silver City, New Mexico.

What these people don't know is that their every move will be tracked. They are actually part of a new betting game set up by the casino owner (John Cleese) for himself and some of his rich friends.

Naturally, everyone is skeptical at first. But what if it is true? No one can walk away from that possibility, and they all begin to race for the money. But set backs in the form of airport closures, car wrecks, and cows stand in their way. Who will get there first?

The more important question to ask is, does the audience care? In my case, the answer is no. I kept watching, waiting for the movie to get better, but it never did. There were a few laugh out loud moments, but most of the movie fell flat.

The biggest problem it had is the lack of character development. With a running time of just under two hours, there isn't time to get to know all the characters. Since I didn't care about them, I didn't find their predicaments funny or care about the outcome of the race.

Not that this is the fault of the actors. With people like Woopie Goldberg, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jon Lovitz, and Seth Green in the cast, you know the acting won't be poor. And it isn't. All the actors do a great job with the material they are given. The problem is the material they are given just isn't that funny.

Frankly, I found the poor writing surprising. The screenplay is credited to Andy Breckman, creator of the great show Monk. It's no secret that I am a huge fan of that show, so the fact that his name was in the credits increased my expectations. Sadly, the great dialog and characters of that show are nowhere to be found here.

Then there is the climax. Instead of building on everything that had come before, it took a turn out of nowhere that wasn't even that funny. It was more of an anti-climax that really made me feel like I had wasted my time.

The few funny moments in this movie aren't worth watching the rest of the movie to see. Instead of wasting your time with Rat Race, watch the classic that inspired it.