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Let's get this out of the way right up front: Rat Race is not what you'd call a good movie.

What do Jon Lovitz, Seth Green, Kathy Najimy, post-Blackadder Rowan Atkinson, and even (sorry) Whoopi Goldberg have in common? They're all larger-than-life character actors who are fine in small doses, but to have any of them carry a movie would be too much. I guess Jerry Zucker thought that if he pulled ALL of them into the same movie, they'd somehow balance each other out. Then, stir in Cuba Gooding, Jr. Doing comedy (something he's repeatedly attempted but, in my opinion, never really shown a knack for), Breckin Meyer (who is genuinely an underappreciated comedy genius, but seemed sort of lost in this film), and a few others. This formula did not improve the ensemble.

The problems become evident early on. Rowan Atkinson, firmly into his Mr. Bean period, shows up playing a supposed Italian with a poor command of English (because... SIGH), but comes off less "foreign" than "clinically brain-damaged". Jon Lovitz only ever really plays one type of character, "Look how neurotic and grating I am!" Man -- and he's true to form here.

BUT!!! There's one redeeming quality that has to be acknowledged: John Cleese is **amazing** in this film! Seemingly incapable of turning in a bad performance, from the moment he first appears on screen he elevates every scene he's in. It's the sort of tour-de-force work that makes you wish the movie were good enough to deserve it. Rat Race is not that movie.

The most telling thing about this series is that, despite the abysmal series rating, nearly EVERY episode has an average rating over 7, with a number of 8+ scores, and just a tiny handful of 5 & 6 averages. Seems like people who actually gave the show a chance and watched the episodes enjoyed them. And it does have a lot going for it. Most significant, the creation of new, interesting characters to round out the roster of familiar Autobots and Decepticons. Steeljaw, alone - one of the most complex and nuanced foes the Autobots have ever faced - made his debut in the third episode of the series. But I suppose anyone determined to hate it had already made up their mind by that point.