A limp, wince inducing attempt at comedy, disappointingly from the guy behind Airplane and good ol' Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant Police Squad. In the sort of classic setup that was ten-a-penny back in the late 70s to early 80s, a diverse group of chancers take part in a race across America for a prize of $20 million. The prize has been put up by an eccentric casino owner so he and other millionaires can bet high on who the winner will be.
The cast is packed with people who should know better, but unfortunately their career paths don�t quite have the trajectory necessary for them to refuse. So there are upcoming hopefuls yet to make any real impact, and has-beens who are now needing to resort to playing the same silly characters to get roles.
The jokes come thick and fast, but the emphasis is on thick, as the humour is so obvious and uninspired that I only laughed once, and that was in embarrassment at a stereotype that risked offending everyone in the cinema with me. The only moments that approached real comedy were the sidebets the bigwigs make to pass the time until the result is announced. And when that moment arrives, the ending is so contrived that you end up wondering how anyone saw any redeeming qualities in the script. Plus, are Smashmouth trying to set some kind of record for the number of times one song is featured on a soundtrack? |
