Back in 2001, an impressive cast assembled for Jerry Zucker, the Writer/Director of “Airplane” and his modern (much smaller budget) take on the 60’s classic “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”, RAT RACE.
John Cleese, sporting an impressive set of false teeth, stars as Casino Mogul Donald Sinclair. He’s dropped six lucky gold pieces into his slot machines, summoning the random folks who find them and sending them off on a quest for a $2 million prize in New Mexico.
There are no rules, no limits, just six people throw into an immediate quest.
Whoopi Goldberg effectively plays it straight as a woman just reunited with her daughter, Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) has plenty of laugh out loud moments as Italian tourist Enrico Pollini, Cuba Gooding Jr. shows off his comic chops as an NFL ref trying to hide from the worst big game call in history and Seth Green delivers as one of two hapless brothers who’ll stop at nothing for the win.
Jon Lovitz and Kathy Najimy are Mr. & Mrs. Pear and pretty much steal the movie as a couple on vacation with their kids in Vegas. Lovitz owns every double-take and enough physical comedy for two movies. Watching him try to get the family loaded up to leave when they just arrived in Sin City is a riot. A scene in which they steal Hitler’s car and take off with a Neo-Nazi motorcycle gang on their trail throws the whole movie on its back and runs away.
Zucker is in full “Airplane” and “Top Secret” mode, delivering a bus full of Lucy impersonators, a hot air balloon chase that includes a balloon dragging a very angry cow that manages to hit key cast members and every possible mode of transportation at full tilt.
It’s too bad the two lead characters played by Amy Smart and Brecklin Meyer are so dull. Is it the actors or the writing? Either way, anytime they’re on screen, you’re anxious to get back to virtually anyone else.
Occasionally hilarious but pretty soft in the middle, RAT RACE leaves you hungry for an entire movie about the Pear family. Lovitz and Najimy are worth the $2 million all by themselves.
I’ll give it a C+.
Comments