Sinclair's guests place bets on who will win. He arranges for six competitors to race the 563 miles (906 km) to Silver City, New Mexico, where $2 million is in a train station locker. Plot Įccentric tycoon Donald Sinclair devises a game to entertain the high rollers who visit his Las Vegas casino. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a box office success, having grossed $85.5 million worldwide against a $48 million budget, and in recent years has developed a cult following. Produced by Fireworks Pictures, Alphaville Films and Zucker's Zucker Productions, the film was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on August 17, 2001, in the United States and Canada. Each team is given a key to the locker and the first person to reach the locker gets the money. The film centers on six teams of people who are given the task of racing 563 miles (906 km) from a Las Vegas casino to a Silver City, New Mexico train station where a storage locker contains a duffel bag filled with $2 million. Inspired by Stanley Kramer's 1963 film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, the film features an ensemble cast consisting of Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Wayne Knight, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Najimy, Lanei Chapman, Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart, Seth Green, Vince Vieluf, John Cleese and Dave Thomas. Rat Race is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Jerry Zucker.
