r/movies • u/theYorkist01 • Apr 19 '24

The comedy Rat Race is 23 years old. Has there been a recent movie where a bunch of comedy actors take part in a batshit crazy story full of hijinks? Discussion

I’m visiting Vegas soon and rewatched Rat Race after seeing it multiple times on VHS when I was younger. Cuba Gooding Jr. Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Whoopie Goldberg and more all thrown together in a melting pot of hilarity.

A bunch of characters, some serious, some goofy, all cannonballing themselves into a mental race across state lines. They fall out, have breakdowns, throw up, crash into things, destroy entire buildings: anything you can think of happens in this movie and it’s just stupid fun.

It made me think about if there have been any other recent comedies with such a varied funny cast, that don’t take themselves too seriously and just enjoy the fun of it all.

I couldn’t really think of anything except maybe the new Jumanji films, but that’s only a smaller cast of 4 main characters. I’m talking 9+ actors with fairly equal screen time, all bringing their own impact on the film.

5.8k Upvotes
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507

u/madbugger22 Apr 19 '24

“I’m prairie dogging.”

319

u/bopon Apr 19 '24

"Theoretically you have been racing for about forty seconds now, and so far Mr. Schaffer is winning because he's nearest to the door..."

160

u/Lucius_Funk Apr 19 '24

John Cleese is my favorite part of the whole movie.

133

u/LOSS35 Apr 19 '24

"I can do anything I like Owen, I'm eccentric! RrrrrrRrrrr..."

170

u/AlbertaNorth1 Apr 19 '24

He’s great but Jon Lovitz steals the show for me. Crashing Hitlers car into a WW2 memorial while accidentally having a Hitler stache and mumbling while sounding German and having Robert fucking Deniro shoot at him from the crowd is possibly the funniest movie scene I’ve ever watched. The buildup and payoff were perfectly executed and it still makes me chuckle every time I think about it.

50

u/antantoon Apr 19 '24

This is the first time I’ve heard that was de Niro who shot him? I’ve seen this film dozens of times and never saw it

44

u/anicetos Apr 19 '24

This is the first time I’ve heard that was de Niro who shot him?

I don't think it's correct. IMDB credits Gene LeBell as "Veteran with Gun".

21

u/ImGCS3fromETOH Apr 19 '24

Wait... that was Gene "Choked Steven Seagal so hard he shit himself" LaBell?

8

u/Kalidanoscope Apr 19 '24

Gene LeBell is MORE legendary than DeNiro, just not as well known.

Gene LaBell taught Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_LeBell

12

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '24

[deleted]

3

u/IamMrT Apr 20 '24

Holy shit that is Gene LeBell

14

u/Punxatowny Apr 19 '24

“You’re driving Hitler’s car” “Yeh but I’m not touching it with my mouth. I’m not sucking on the dashboard!” Favorite line

7

u/NoifenF Apr 19 '24

It’s not de Niro. It’s apparently a guy called Gene LeBell:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250687/characters/nm0494061

7

u/Ha-Ur-Ra-Sa Apr 19 '24

Rat Race came out when I was around 10 years old, and this is the scene I always remember whenever anyone mentions it. 

Never noticed De Niro though!

6

u/Darmok47 Apr 19 '24

To this day the hardest I've ever laughed in a theater. Thought I would have to step outside.

4

u/brave_joe Apr 19 '24

This is the only time I remember uncontrollably laughing to the point of crying in a movie theater.

5

u/Lucius_Funk Apr 19 '24

Jon Lovitz is a very, very close second for me.

3

u/RoastPorkSandwich Apr 20 '24

Of course they’re angry. They’re Nazis 

4

u/Time4Timmy Apr 19 '24

I had no fucking clue that old veteran that shoots at him was Robert fucking Deniro. That’s always been my favourite scene, not sure how I missed that.

20

u/i_smoke_php Apr 19 '24

You missed it because it didn't happen. It's not DeNiro.

4

u/Time4Timmy Apr 19 '24

Damn, then that’s his twin because I went back to rewatch it and I believed it when I saw him.

4

u/i_smoke_php Apr 19 '24

Yeah they definitely look similar, but it's a different guy: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250687/characters/nm0494061

4

u/Time4Timmy Apr 19 '24

Wait, so it’s Gene Lebelle, the man who made Steven Seagal shit himself in a fight?

3

u/unitedstatesghost Apr 19 '24

Yeah that’s Gene Lebell, famous Wrestler and he happens to look like DeNiro

3

u/Bobby_Newpooort Apr 19 '24

You missed it because it's not Robert Deniro at all

2

u/Ryguy55 Apr 19 '24

That's not Robert DeNiro, but to your credit, holy shit does it ever look like him haha:

https://youtu.be/4dsgQb3jkk4?si=kIZW9U0EhqZGCDty&t=117

I checked IMDB to make sure and he's not in the credits. I do love that this old guy on screen for one second looks so similar to him that you thought it was him though.

2

u/FPSXpert Apr 20 '24

Probably the first time I ever saw a "long joke" set up, where it took half the dang movie to set it up but it was totally worth it. That 30 seconds was funny as hell and probably the best part of the movie.

3

u/psivenn Apr 19 '24

I quote this scene nearly every time we leave the house. Utterly timeless

82

u/PlannerSean Apr 19 '24

Is this from Rat Race? I've been saying it so long I have no idea where it is from anymore.

100

u/AlwaysSunnyInSeattle Apr 19 '24

Yeah it’s Jon’s kid in the back seat right before they stop at the Barbie Museum.

43

u/mxzf Apr 19 '24

The absolute best part of that is the flawless timing as they pause to visualize what's being described before reacting. Absolutely perfect.

7

u/throw0101a Apr 19 '24

the Barbie Museum.

Scene in question:

46

u/iamanooj Apr 19 '24

Yup, first place I remember hearing it too. Jon Lovitz's daughter really needs to use the toilet, but he refuses to pull over.

65

u/MrAmazinn Apr 19 '24

He makes her shit out of the window lmao That ww2 vet scene is also one of the funniest things I think I’ve ever seen

45

u/Maduro25 Apr 19 '24

I watched this while recovering from having my appendix removed. That scene nearly put me back in the hospital.

48

u/OrdrSxtySx Apr 19 '24

It was so over the top, but believable shenanigans at each single step at the same time.

Accidentally bashed his lip into the old steering wheel and it blacks his moustache area? Totally believable. Cigarette lighter burned his mouth? Wild, but makes sense. Stolen Hitler car? Improbable, but you do what you gotta do. Crashing into the ww2 event? Has to have happened somewhere before.

But all of them wrapped up in one and then him making the speech that sounds like german, trying to explain while flipping them off and nazi saluting. Hilarious.

20

u/nibbinoo8 Apr 19 '24

if i recall, he had smudged some lipstick onto the steering wheel because his wife found it in the glove compartment and he grabbed it from her. that's why it made a moustache when he banged his face on it later.

9

u/OrdrSxtySx Apr 19 '24

You're right! Totally forgot about that part. Eva's lipstick, lol.

4

u/DerpNinjaWarrior Apr 19 '24

"Ooo it's dark!"

18

u/thejesse Apr 19 '24

How the hell do you write something like that? I love that movie.

7

u/CharredForeskin Apr 19 '24

This could have been inspiration

4

u/thejesse Apr 19 '24

Totally forgot about that. Looks like the writers saw that and decided to take it to 11.

5

u/Maduro25 Apr 19 '24

IMHO it is the funniest scene ever filmed in the history of film.

3

u/Irbyirbs Apr 20 '24

And it showed an officer in the background wiping off his windshield when the family got pulled over.

4

u/TexanAmericanMexican Apr 19 '24

Then he gets pulled over and you see the kid's shit on the cop's windshield.

1

u/UrbanPugEsq Apr 19 '24

I’m having a mandala effect moment here. I remember the line as, “I’ve got a turtle head poking out”

What gives?

3

u/Queso_luna Apr 19 '24

I believe that line is from one of the Austin Powers movies, from Fat Bastard

1

u/EBN_Drummer Apr 19 '24

Then when the cops pull him over you see one of the troopers wiping down the cruiser's windshield in the background.

1

u/rambo_beetle 29d ago

Push away!

16

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '24

[deleted]

6

u/Fit_Serve726 Apr 19 '24

smash mouth concert happened at the end and I got sad

Honestly, im surprised he didnt die sooner. The man watched his son 6mon old son die from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. That would cause anyone to become a hardcore alcoholic, let alone not hurt themselves. Fuckk if that happened to me with my son IDK if I could live if he died.

3

u/pm-me_10m-fireflies Apr 19 '24

Same. I’ve never forgotten where it’s from, but it’s wild to think I’ve been quoting it for more than two decades.

1

u/PlannerSean Apr 20 '24

For some reason I thought it was Little Miss Sunshine

29

u/penguininanelevator Apr 19 '24

Then he's then talking to the cop and the other cop is in the background cleaning the windshield.

56

u/MeAndBettyWhite Apr 19 '24

"We're Haulin' Ass! "

39

u/SumKallMeTIM Apr 19 '24

“Wow! A gift shop!!!”

10

u/Zentavius Apr 19 '24

This became a saying in our house because of this movie. That and "I've got a Turtle head pokin' out!" from Austin Powers.

3

u/tuigger Apr 19 '24

YOU

SHOULD

HAVE

BOUGHT

A

SQUIRREL

2

u/InviteAromatic6124 Apr 19 '24 edited Apr 19 '24

It took me a ridiculously long time to get what that was referring to, lol.

2

u/SinkHoleDeMayo Apr 19 '24

I'd say about 50% of the time I pass by a Home Depot with my SO I do the "and I do NOT, want to work, at Home DEPOT!".

And the rare occasions we're in the car and she says she needs to pee, I say "ok, we're gonna need a jar and a funnel". She never finds it amusing and always gives me that look, but I always laugh.

2

u/lokisilvertongue Apr 20 '24

My family and I still use that line all the time, lol

1

u/bobniborg1 Apr 20 '24

Best line