Rat Race (2001)

A Las Vegas casino magnate, determined to find a new avenue for wagering, sets up a race for money.

Director:

Jerry Zucker

Writer:

Andy Breckman

Stars:

Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart, Whoopi Goldberg

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Breckin Meyer	...	Nick Schaffer
Jenica Bergere	...	Hotel Clerk
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Owen Templeton
Carrie Diamond	...	Casino Bartender
Douglas Haase	...	Guy at Bar
Chris Myers	...	Fox Sportscaster
Kevin Frazier	...	Fox Sportscaster
Seth Green	...	Duane Cody
Gloria Allred	...	Gloria Allred
Vince Vieluf	...	Blaine Cody
Renée Lee	...	Witness in Crowd
Corinna Harney	...	Cocktail Waitress (as Corinna Harney Jones)
Jane C. Walsh	...	Cocktail Waitress
Lanei Chapman	...	Merrill Jennings (as Lanai Chapman)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Vera Baker

Storyline

Donald P. Sinclair has placed six separate gold coins in different slot machines in his casino. The lucky six who find these coins discover an opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to own $2 million. Locked up in a locker in New Mexico, these six contestants must now race each other, to be the first to the cash. There are no rules in place and everything that could possibly happen, does. Whilst, behind the scenes, Sinclair's associates are placing their bets.

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Plot Keywords:

on the road | mother daughter reunion | rock concert | casino | money | 

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Taglines:

Join the race.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual references, crude humor, partial nudity and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rat Race

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$48,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,662,094, 19 August 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$56,618,055

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$85,498,534

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Alphaville Films, Fireworks Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rowan Atkinson's character (an Italian tourist) was originally going to be a Chinese diplomat.

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Goofs

As Nick puts his coin into the machine to gamble, you can see the crewmembers arms pushing equipment along, reflected in the golden edges of the casino machines.

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Quotes

Merrill: We're not crazy, lady!
Vera Baker: We should've bought a squirrel, but we didn't buy a squirrel.
Merrill: Which is why we stole the rocket car.

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Crazy Credits

Randy Pear plays the harmonica found in Hitler's Mercedes-Benz.

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Alternate Versions

The KLM (Royal Dutch Airline) Version has had all views of a Saudi Arabian gambler (with Donald Sinclair at the concert at the end of the film) digitally "speckled out".

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Connections

Spoofs I Love Lucy (1951)

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Soundtracks

Respect
Written and performed by Otis Redding

User Reviews

Could have been rip roaring laugh out loud hilarious but alas

'Rat Race' fails miserably. With a unique ensemble cast of such comedic talents one (like me) would have expected loads of laughter. Sadly the director and writer exaggerate the plot situations too much and the actors, every single one of them severely overact. That's not to say that there aren't any funny moments at all (Kathy Bates's cameo as the squirrel seller). However the overall outcome disappoints big time. It is the cast that really convinced me to watch the film. Who would have expected a film with John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Rowan Atkinson, Jon Lovitz etc to be this non-funny! I suppose the director is to be blamed too. Many of the 'humour' appears forced. On the positive side, one does get to vastly enjoy the American landscape (it is a road movie after all). But, anyway, if you're expecting a real comedy, look elsewhere.