I must say that I had some very high expectations when I saw the names of the actors that played a role in this comedy. With people like John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson, I hoped for the best, although I must also admit that I'm not a fan of Whoopi Goldberg, which still made me doubt about it. However, I didn't see it as a reason not to watch this movie and that's why I gave this "Rat Race" a try.
When a group of billionaires is searching for something new to bet on, they find the perfect solution for their 'problem' in the new game that Las Vegas casino owner Donald P. Sinclair has invented. He has pulled a group of six strangers together and tells them that they will have to race to Silver City, New Mexico, where the first one to arrive will be able to retrieve $2 million hidden in a locker. The only rule is that there are no rules. Everything is allowed in order to get there first. At first they don't really believe this is a true race, but it doesn't take long before the narcoleptic Italian immigrant, the desperate father, the disgraced NFL referee, the decent lawyer, a team made up by a mother and daughter and another one made up by two weird brothers all embark on this weird adventure.
What I liked most about this comedy was that it didn't rely on all those fart jokes and other toilet humor that you find too often in today's comedies. This is still a movie full of decent jokes and I must say that I had some very good laughs with it. However, that doesn't mean that this was a perfect movie. Take for instance Rowan Atkinson. I normally like all his parts, but this time I was quite disappointed by his performance. I'm not saying that I know someone better to play the role of Enrico Pollini, but this certainly wasn't Atkinson's finest. On the other hand I must say that John Cleese was very nice as the eccentric casino owner.
Overall this isn't the best comedy ever, but I like to see it as one of those guilty pleasures, which can sometimes lighten up a miserable day. The story is completely over-the-top and absurd, but that's OK, because this is a comedy. The acting is pretty good most of the time and especially John Cleese and Cuba Gooding Jr. were a nice surprise. That's why I give this movie a rating between 6.5/10 and 7/10.
