Rat Race (2001)

[AnthonyMRusso 0]

This movie has to be done. Reasons:

• Bus full of "Lucys" (WAAAAHHHHHHHHH)
  
• Kathy Bates as a squirrel saleswoman
  
• Newman and the heart transplant
  
• John Cleese's ridiculous bets
  
• HELICOPTER ATTACK
  
• Attempted murders for virtually no reason other than petty annoyances
  
• Narcoleptic Rowan Atkinson
  
• The Barbie museum
  
• Prairie Doggin'
  
• Seth Greens terrorist attack on an airport
  
• ...AND SO MUCH MORE
  

 

FUN FACTS

 

This movie features three Oscar winners.

 

[Kream15 11]

this movie is bonkers...

The Barbie museum, wow

Jon Lovitz stealing Hitler's car...

 

[NitsujRelis 8]

This movie is garbage, BUT is trully wonderful garbage.  It's my ultimate guilty pleasure. 

 

[kellinaroberto 1]

YES!!! I literally joined the forum and read the "read this before you post" and did the google search to find this!!! 8 years and STILL we haven't received this gloriousness?? I will add to your list with all the things you could not do today. I feel like it especially highlights how different life was, especially air travel pre 9/11...it came less than a month before and it is the definition of BONKERS.

-SMASHMOUTH

-CUBA B-BOYING/ BREAKDANCING

-MR BEAN ITALIAN NARCOLEPTIC

-JOHN CLEESE GIANT FAKE BLEACHED TEETH

-WHOOPI BREAKING THE LANDSPEED RECORD AND LITERALLY BEATING A SPEEDING BULLET

-DEAN CAIN SPILLING OUT OF AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL AFTER TRYING TO PUSH HIS MISTRESS' HEAD DOWN IN A SUPER GROSS WAY. (okay that part made me angry and reminded me of how shitty behavior was normal but the above-ground pool really gets me)

-GLORIA ALLRED IN THE MOST INSANE/TERRIBLE ACTING OF HER LIFE & I LOVED IT. (No idea who this lady was when I was a kid watching it and probably just thought she was somebody famous because of THAT DELIVERY).

-WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

-KATHY BATES NOT ONLY SELLS SQUIRRELS BUT ALSO MURDERS PEOPLE WITH HER DIRECTIONS TO DEATH!

Here are the tag-lines wiki gives:

-563 miles. 9 people. $2 million. 1001 problems!

-Make a Dash, for the Cash

-Join the Race August 2001

My brother and I constantly used to quote Rowan's character and yell "Did I win?" in a Little Italy level offensive accent.  Also, I think "prairie-dogging" it came from this movie. The first entry to Urban Dictionary wasn't until 2003 I think but it was created in 1999...so I feel like this movie made the first real pop reference to it?!

Lastly, here's an article from 2018 that breaks down most of the characters' routes and posits who should have actually won Rat Race according to actual travel time. I feel 100p the same and had a similar experience...except I rented it from Hollywood Video in PA and not some cute video shop in the UK.

That article includes a link this one that lays out all the problematic parts but STILL loves this gem of a dumpster fire..INCREDIBLE!

I need this movie to get the maddening recognition it deserves. I understand it's a "loose" remake of It's a Mad (4x) World but only in the race sense...the shit they get into in Rat Race is truly an acid trip comparatively. PLEASE APRIL, HEAR OUR CRIES & BE OUR SAVIOR.

It's available for FREE on Amazon Prime and Crackle!

[Baron 8]

You watch your filthy mouth!  I love Rat Race!

[RyanSz 3140]

I remember seeing this in theaters and not having much problem with it, though it's not a great film. I also remember being the most pissed at Smash Mouth just taking the bag of money and assuming it's a donation for their benefit concert. They straight up Putin the racers in seeing the money and grabbing it from them, then putting it on the tally board  with the sense of "yeah be an asshole and say that this isn't a donation now."