Rat Race

A good-hearted but regrettably dull attempt at ensemble comedy that wants to be It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World but winds up being more Cannonball Run 2. A cast that includes Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Lovitz and Seth Green is set off on a cross-country race for $2 million by an eccentric businessman (an under-used John Cleese). The jokes come fast, but most of them fail. Some gags involving a cow and monster trucks work, but a slew of them left me stone-faced. Cuba Gooding Jr. has some moments to shine, and I liked Green just fine, but the movie is dull overall. Surprising, considering that Jerry Zucker (Airplane!) directed.