Review of Rat Race (2001) by Alexander Z — 07 Jan 2010

There are not enough wacky comedies out there. Nowadays, these types of comedies are looked down upon as quaint or simple or outdated. I say phooey and pshaw! Humor of any style can make you laugh, if it is done well. And I say Rat Race does it well. I'd say a large reason of why it is routinely written off as a bad attempt is because this type of humor is the easiest to screw up, since it relies most on timing, not overusing simple jokes, and body movements, and many comedies in this vein have screwed it up royally. However, Rat Race succeeds because it has a large cast. No character overstays his or her welcome, and all of them have their own zany subplot. Most surprising, none of the humor has a trace of malice, even when it seems that it should. Quite an achievement. Plus, John Cleese and his band of gamblers steals every scene they're in.

Of course, I do have to mention the ending. There could have been so many better ways to lose the money. Smashmouth? Really? It's not enough to ruin the movie, as most of the gags exist mostly separate from one another, but it is a sour note.