the review site with a difference since 1999
Paramount Studios presentsRat Race
(2001)
"We should've bought a squirrel."- Vera Baker (Whoopi Goldberg)
Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Lanai Chapman, John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green, Wayne Knight
Other Stars: Jon Lovitz, Breckin Meyer, Kathy Najimy, Paul Rodriguez, Amy Smart, Vince Vieluf, Charlotte Zucker
Director: Jerry Zucker
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual references, crude humor, partial nudity, and language
Run Time: 01h:52m:00s
Release Date: 2002-01-29
Genre: comedy
Style Grade |
Substance Grade | Image Transfer Grade | Audio Transfer Grade |
Extras Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
B | B | A- | B+ | B |
DVD Review
There's a scene in Rat Race that is so brilliantly conceived, I didn't even notice I was being set up until the punch line hit and I was laughing myself silly. The gag involves Jon Lovitz, Hitler's stolen death car, and a bit of Eva Braun memorabilia, and even if Rat Race never quite tops this moment of inspired visual farce, it's worth seeing for the Nazi send-up alone. In creating Rat Race, director Jerry Zucker and writer Andy Breckman borrow more than a few pages from Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, but manage to infuse them with the same gag-a-minute zeal as Zucker's Airplane! films to create a final product that's less a rip-off than a worthy homage. Honestly, I always found the concept of Kramer's film to be better than the execution, and I don't believe it has aged well. Likely in 40 years, Rat Race will look no better, but for me and my modern comedic sensibilities, I found it to be funnier than the picture that clearly inspired it. Eccentric billionaire Donald Sinclair needs something new to attract high rollers to his casino, so he orchestrates an amazing race (CBS copyright pending). He plants six gold coins in six different slot machines; the winners of each are automatically entered in a race from Las Vegas to a small town in Texas, a 560-mile dash for a cool $2 million.Zucker is known for his broad gags and delayed punch lines, are both are in effect here. Most of the comedy is very obvious and visually oriented, but that doesn't make it any less funny. There are a few great sight gags, like Seth Green being dragged through a field of cows while hanging onto a hot air balloon, that try their darndest to amuse even the stodgiest viewers, and largely, they succeed. It seems the theory was to throw every madcap situation at the screen and see what came off looking the most ridiculous, like the bus full of Lucille Ball impersonators or an outlandish, tasteless, but amusing gag with an organ donation gone wrong. Some of the best scenes cut back to the gamblers, as they amuse themselves by placing nonsensical bets (my favorite: which maid can hang onto the curtain rod the longest?). Not all of the material is funny, and a few of the storylines fall flat, but the pace is such that the bad jokes never kill the momentum. If the ending is a bit of a letdown, at least we get there without much in the way of gross-out body humor (and, in what may be a first for the new century, a total lack of fart jokes). IAMMMMW was populated by a cast of comic legends, but this time around, the players are more B-list than A, though it makes little difference. John Cleese is delightfully nutty is his rather small role, and obviously having a blast. I always enjoy the aforementioned Seth Green, who shows great chemistry with on-screen sibling Vince Veiluf. Other notables include Whoopi Goldberg, in her least annoying work since another Zucker picture, Ghost, and the always reliable Breckin Meyer. If some of the other characters, like Cuba Gooding Jr. and the rather embarrassing Rowan Atkinson, fail to click, it doesn't really matter. With such a huge cast, there's always someone new popping on-screen.A summer hit that actually had strong word of mouth repeat business, Rat Race is no comedic masterpiece, but still a worthy addition to a genre that hasn't been done in Hollywood for quite some time. Nowadays, I suppose large ensemble comedies are more trouble than they're worth (see the drama behind Town and Country), but if they all managed to be as infectiously fun as Rat Race, the audience, at least, would be better off.Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: B
Image Transfer
One | |
---|---|
Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 - Widescreen |
Original Aspect Ratio | yes |
Anamorphic | yes |
Image Transfer Review: This is a very nice transfer, certainly on par with the work Paramount has done with other recent theatrical releases. The color palate is very bright, and reproduced wonderfully, with bright, eye-popping visuals. At the same time, I noticed no over saturated, blooming reds. Black level is decent, and while the overall image is a tad soft, shadow detail is good, and fine detail is certainly above average. There are some scenes where speckles are visible on the print, but nothing major. Aside from a few instances of slight artifacting, this is a great looking, film-like picture. It's getting to the point where most transfers of newer films look very nice on disc, and happily, Rat Race is no exception.
Image Transfer Grade: A-
Audio Transfer
Language | Remote Access | |
---|---|---|
DS 2.0 | English, French | yes |
Dolby Digital 5.1 | English | yes |
Audio Transfer Review: The 5.1 mix sounds great, and is surprisingly active for a comedy, but still not something to use as demo-material. First of all, it is always important to note that dialogue is well anchored in the center channel, and is always clear. The front soundstage handles most of the action, and is surprisingly loaded with directional and panning effects, in both the score and the frequent astmospherics, like car crashes and explosions. The surrounds do provide some support in some of the more frantic scenes (and, amusingly, in the Lucy scene—hear "Wahhhhhhh!" in glorious 5.1!), filling out the mix a bit.
Audio Transfer Grade: B+
Disc Extras
Animated menu with musicScene Access with 15 cues
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
1 Original Trailer(s)
6 Deleted Scenes
1 Documentaries
1 Featurette(s)
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual
Extra Extras:
- Gag ReelGag Reel
- The GigglesThe Giggles
- Jerry and Andy Call the Actors: Audio Interviews With the CastJerry and Andy Call the Actors: Audio Interviews With the Cast
Extras Grade: B
Final Comments
In an era where every comedy seems to be trying to top the last Farrelly brothers gross-out gag, Rat Race is a nice surprise—a throwback to old-fashioned slapstick and broad visual humor. It's a lot of fun, if wildly inconsistent, and certainly worth a rental. Especially if you think cows are funny. Because man, I like The Far Side and all, but talking cows? Freaky.Joel Cunningham 2002-01-23