Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
In an ensemble film about easy money, greed, manipulation and bad driving, a Las Vegas casino tycoon entertains his wealthiest high rollers -- a group that will bet on anything -- by pitting six ordinary people against each other in a wild dash for $2 million jammed into a locker hundreds of miles away. The tycoon and his wealthy friends monitor each racer's every move to keep track of their favorites. The only rule in this race is that there are no rules.
Rat Race is a broad, frenetic ensemble comedy in the tradition of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World — its novelty comes from its gleefully anarchic spirit and a genuinely funny cast rather than any groundbreaking concept. The plot is deliberately thin and episodic by design, serving as a loose excuse for escalating gags. The ensemble cast (Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr.) delivers solid comedic performances, though the material is uneven. Cinematography is purely functional — shot for broad comedy with no particular visual ambition. The ending, involving a Smash Mouth concert and a charity punchline, is widely considered a misfire that deflates the momentum, earning it a low mark.