Rat Race (2001)

44% of critics liked it
(126 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(383,283 ratings)

A very loose remake of the classic multi-star comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), this madcap comedy is directed by Jerry Zucker, one third of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy team and director of Ghost (1990). John Cleese stars as an eccentric casino owner who devises a contest pitting six… More A very loose remake of the classic multi-star comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), this madcap comedy is directed by Jerry Zucker, one third of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy team and director of Ghost (1990). John Cleese stars as an eccentric casino owner who devises a contest pitting six teams against each other in a race to claim two million dollars from a locker in New Mexico. The competitors are Owen (Cuba Gooding Jr., who ends up driving a bus full of Lucille Ball imitators, a foreigner (Rowan Atkinson) who hitches a ride in an organ donor vehicle, and a recently reunited mother and daughter (Whoopi Goldberg and Lanei Chapman) who anger a "squirrel lady" (Kathy Bates) -- much to their regret. There are also two con artist brothers (Seth Green and Vince Vieluf), the upright Nick (Breckin Meyer), who gets a lift from cute but psychotic pilot Tracy (Amy Smart), and the eccentric Pear family, headed up by Jon Lovitz. Rat Race also stars Dave Thomas, Kathy Najimy, Wayne Knight, Dean Cain, and Paul Rodriguez. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By: Jerry Zucker
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 17, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Jan 29, 2002
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Fitfully amusing farce.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
An overheated, underdone farce.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
A few decent running gags ... and an ocean of bad ones.
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today
Race, which delights in bashing all manner of transportation, hits its silly stride early and never shifts into a higher gear.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
It's a mad mad mad mad world, all right, and Rat Race makes it seem all the zanier.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The funniest film to come along since South Park.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Vulgar and lowbrow, but very funny.
Christopher Smith, Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Ruthlessly dumb people--but funny, too.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Manic, messy, and for the most part silly, this road comedy marks Zucker's bumpy return to the genre after a number of equally bumpy dramas such as First Knight.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
... the only real surprise is how genuinely dreadful a movie that aims only for pleasant, profitable mediocrity can be.
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com
Oh, you dirty rat!
Harry Guerin, RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
Some great moments, but with the talent on offer, this film should have broken ribs.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
It's a big, dumb, loud, long, (and sometimes quite) funny movie
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy
A fantastic road trip in the vein of films like Scavenger Hunt
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
It goes on, and on, and on for 113 minutes, which is way past any reasonable person's limit for this sort of thing.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

Rat Race is a good enough that has enough effective comedic moments to make this a film worth watching. For a remake, this film wasn't too bad, but it wasn't great either. The film has good comedy and a good cast to support the film. The film is very funny, but could have… More
Rat Race is a good enough that has enough effective comedic moments to make this a film worth watching. For a remake, this film wasn't too bad, but it wasn't great either. The film has good comedy and a good cast to support the film. The film is very funny, but could have been better as well. The jokes are good, but don't hold up after multiple viewings. Watching this film again, I didn't think it was as funny as the first time I saw it, however it still is good fun and funny, but this is the type of which the jokes lose their vigor. They're still good, but lack at times. If you're looking for an entertaining, fun comedy, this is one worth watching. There's plenty to enjoy, and with a cast like this, they make an ordinary film pretty memorable. The film is enjoyable for what it is, and it has a lot of funny moments here and there. The most memorable performances are Seth Green and Jon Lovitz. Those two actors stole the show. Rat Race is lots of fun from start to finish. There's lots to enjoy about this and if you want a mindless comedic romp, then this is a great film to watch. I very much enjoyed the film, and thought for the most part it was a wonderfully funny comedy with minor flaws. For a remake, this is a pretty good one, better than most and is worth your time. Not a comedy classic by all means, this film still has enough good elements to create an effective film that is entertaining.
Directors C

I think because Jerry Zucker's other films Airpane and The Naked Gun didn't really have any genuinely good actors and just got straight to the gags "formula" was the reason people were dissapointed with Rat Race. It didn't stick to it and instead used real… More
I think because Jerry Zucker's other films Airpane and The Naked Gun didn't really have any genuinely good actors and just got straight to the gags "formula" was the reason people were dissapointed with Rat Race. It didn't stick to it and instead used real actors. I however see this as an advantage. Because they were funny. The whole movie is similar to Airplane! because it seems to be like a series of sketches. Most of them being very, very funny. Even though there was one or two jokes I didnt laugh at, the performances of the great ensemble cast made me grin. Rat Race is ambitious to make you laugh without resorting to mean humour like The Naked Gun or Airplane. It suceeds in doing this, as it's in my opinion: possibly one of the best sight comedy films of all time.
Lady D

A full star cast with a fun race and bet, great characters - although I don't think I will ever enjoy Rowan Atkinson being Mr Bean like in mostly everything he does. Enjoyed the spin off stories, good fun and entertaining.
Bethany M

There's no other words except outrageously funny!
Jennifer X

All those comics gathered together make for a rather amusing, fun movie. This is better than its original, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
Michael E

funniest film ive ever seen nothing left to say, okay i think i can talk a little more about why i like it so much. The cast was phenomenal because of how many big name actors they got in this movie, also it seems kind of like a remake of the movie "Its a mad, mad, mad, mad… More
funniest film ive ever seen nothing left to say, okay i think i can talk a little more about why i like it so much. The cast was phenomenal because of how many big name actors they got in this movie, also it seems kind of like a remake of the movie "Its a mad, mad, mad, mad world" because it has all of the cast being comedians which "its a mad mad mad mad world" had too. and the humor is just spot on with this movie my favorite joke being when John Lovitz flips off the biker girl accidentally, they ruin Hitlers car that they are driving, he gets the cigarette lighter stuck in his mouth burning the inside of his mouth so he cant talk, and shoving his face into the lipstick he wiped on the steering wheel, and to top it all off they crash into a WWII veterans gathering, and he cant talk, and has a mark below his nose looking like Hitler, he ticks off the veterans, and he and his family drive away, that is hysterical.
Candy R

Funny film with lots of celebrities. John Cleese sets up a tresure hunt and puts bets on the winner.
Jameson W

Hilarious! Everyone should experience this movie at least once!
Richard C

B-
Ross C

A rebirth of the corny 80s road movie comedy, with a bunch of star actors racing across America in Cannonball Run style. I only watched it for John Cleese and he stole the show in his few scenes, the rest is for kids only.
KJ P

A fun race to the finish kind of movie that never runs out of laughs! Great!
Anthony L

It's a mad mad mad mad rip off! Some good cast members but at the end of the day it is plane crap! People who think it?s better than mad mad world are stupid! It has no class, and the end is so annoying. Another smash mouth ending, why do all new comedies end with 'Hey now… More
It's a mad mad mad mad rip off! Some good cast members but at the end of the day it is plane crap! People who think it?s better than mad mad world are stupid! It has no class, and the end is so annoying. Another smash mouth ending, why do all new comedies end with 'Hey now you?re a rock star'?, it does my head in! Has a couple of funny bits but really not worth it. Watch Its a mad mad mad mad world instead now for some classic comedy!
Lenny M

I forgot I had this on DVD, nothing special, enjoyable with some funny parts, but for the most part forgettable.
Tim S

Repeated viewings have left me to realize that I'd rather sit through the original "It's A Mad, Mad...World" than this shitty remake. Very few comic moments.
Sanjaya &

One of the funniest movie ever made!!!!
Cindy I

*Yawn*. Supposedly a comedy, but you couldn't prove it by me. It got about two snickers and one real laugh out of me. Six people in Las Vegas get randomly chosen for a race to retrieve $2 million from a New Mexico train station locker. They all start off reasonably enough, but… More
*Yawn*. Supposedly a comedy, but you couldn't prove it by me. It got about two snickers and one real laugh out of me. Six people in Las Vegas get randomly chosen for a race to retrieve $2 million from a New Mexico train station locker. They all start off reasonably enough, but then get sidelined by ever more ridiculous obstacles. A lot of plot lines were just thrown in to bring characters together. This was a lot of manic screaming and crazy behavior and car wrecks, without any cleverness or heart. The only saving grace for me was Rowan Atkinson, who is more adept at playing slapstick, so pulled his Italian narcoleptic through just a lttle better. But even that was a problem. If he was a narcoleptic, why didn't he fall asleep more? I particularly disliked the sappy, feel-good ending. A lot of people seem to like this film. It's basically a remake of It's Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, so if you like that you'll like this too. I didn't and don't.
Nani V

Funnier than I expected.
Curtis L

Saw it on an airplane. Even without the earphone I knew it sucked.
Bannan i

Hahahaha, oh noes.
danny d

pretty funny, the characters provide a great dynamic