neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Rat Race
	Jerry Zucker John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Rowan Atkinson, Dave Thomas, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Bates, Seth Green 2001 Special edition — widescreen; closed caption, exclusive interview/audio commentary with director Jerry Zucker and writer Andy Breckman; deleted scenes; making-of featurette; gag reel; outtake scene; "Jerry and Andy Call the Actors"; theatrical trailer.		Going by the number of unadulterated, gut-jiggling laughs, "Rat Race" is, no doubt, the funniest film in years. A megalomaniac Las Vegas billionaire (John Cleese) offers a bunch of losers a chance to win $2 million. First one to the cash, located in a locker hundreds of miles away, wins. Meanwhile, a gaggle of high rollers is betting on the outcome. It's been touted as a remake of the bloated, all-star goof-a-thon "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." But it's sharper, livelier and more relentless than the original, and the retooled storyline is particularly relevant in light of America's current obsession with "reality" TV shows/gross-out competitions such as "Survivor" and "Fear Factor." Plus, it features representatives from two of the most innovative comedy programs to ever grace a video screen, Cleese of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and Dave Thomas of "SCTV," as well as Jon Lovitz, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Bates, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green and the brilliant British fool Rowan Atkinson. Aces all.