Rat Race Movie

Having your first film as a director hailed as one of the funniest comedies in movie history is heady stuff. But when, more than 20 years later, the accolades continue--when the American Film Institute ranks it among America's all-time 10 best laugh-fests--does the rush continue? Well, maybe the adrenaline doesn't pump as fast. But for Jerry Zucker, the idea of being one of the warped brains that begat "Airplane!" is still something to be savored. "The legacy of 'Airplane!'

Having your first film as a director hailed as one of the funniest comedies in movie history is heady stuff. But when, more than 20 years later, the accolades continue--when the American Film Institute ranks it among America's all-time 10 best laugh-fests--does the rush continue? Well, maybe the adrenaline doesn't pump as fast. But for Jerry Zucker, the idea of being one of the warped brains that begat "Airplane!" is still something to be savored. "The legacy of 'Airplane!'

O n your mark ... get set ... go!! The frenzy set off by the gun blast accompanying these well-worn words can just as easily refer to the film industry's marketing mania, a race fueled by visions of a big box-office opening. So, the question is: Does a comedy like "Rat Race," which doesn't have a snappy two-word high-concept line or the magic number "2" following its title, have what it takes to stay in the running against the summer's more visibly promotable fare?

O n your mark ... get set ... go!! The frenzy set off by the gun blast accompanying these well-worn words can just as easily refer to the film industry's marketing mania, a race fueled by visions of a big box-office opening. So, the question is: Does a comedy like "Rat Race," which doesn't have a snappy two-word high-concept line or the magic number "2" following its title, have what it takes to stay in the running against the summer's more visibly promotable fare?

Jon Lovitz is spending the summer in New York appearing nightly onstage at the Music Box Theater in Neil Simon's "The Dinner Party," but his likeness meanwhile will soon be visible in multiplexes everywhere as one of six unwitting Las Vegas tourists-turned-ruthless contestants for big money in the new chase comedy "Rat Race."

Jon Lovitz is spending the summer in New York appearing nightly onstage at the Music Box Theater in Neil Simon's "The Dinner Party," but his likeness meanwhile will soon be visible in multiplexes everywhere as one of six unwitting Las Vegas tourists-turned-ruthless contestants for big money in the new chase comedy "Rat Race."