A good example of one of the most rewatched films of the 21st century is: 'Rat Race'.
The intro to the film is presented by Donald Sinclar (John Cleese), an eccentric hotel and casino owner in Las Vegas. He puts several gold coins in his slot machines, and whomever receives the coins is given the opportunity to participate in a once in a lifetime race. There are two million dollars in a case in a locker in Silver City, New Mexico. The first person to open the case gets the money. There is only one rule: There are no rules.
After Sinclair gives this brief synopsis, the race starts, and to this day, the scene has not lost it's novelty.
We honour you, 'Rat Race', with a few bits of trivia that you might not know.
1 The Greedy Agent
If you are a main character in a film, it's pretty normal to appear on the covers of posters, and even more so if you are part of an ensemble film. However, Vince Vieluf, who played Blaine Cody, didn't actually appear on any of the film's posters or promotional material, even though he has a major part in the film, due to an agent of his whom tried to secure star-billing. Vieluf then fired the agent.
2 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
'Rat Race' was actually inspired by another film, 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World', a 1963 American epic film. In the latter, there is also a huge amount of people who are participating in a similar race to find a case of money. However, there are a few differences, such as the briefcase only contains $300,000 instead of $2,000,000 in the 2001 film.
3 Sinclair's Gambling Addiction
It's pretty clear that the character played by John Cleese likes to bet, and won't waste any occasion to put money on the table. In fact, in a deleted scene, Sinclair amuses himself by playing Monopoly. With real money.
4 The Chinese Diplomat
One of the great attractions of the film we are dealing was, as we have seen, the star-studded cast. That included, of course, Rowan Atkinson, doing what he does best. His character was Enrico Pollini, a tourist of Italian origin. However, originally it was intended that he was to be a Chinese diplomat.
5 A Tall Cameo
With these types of films, cameos fit in extremely well, and even so when said cameo adds a lot of humor to the film. That, in principle, would be the duty of Dallas Page. The wrestler came to record their cameo for the film. However, ended up eventually being deleted from final cut, as the scenes weren't liked in by the audience.
6 Everything stays in-House
As you recall, in the film, the famous actor Wayne Knight plays the role of Zack. However, Knight did not seem to be the first choice to play that role. In fact, Jason Alexander was the chosen to be Zack in 'Rat Race'. Both of them were actors in 'Seinfeld', the famous television series.
7 Lucys for all sides
How could you forget the mythical scene with the mental patients and Lucy on the bus? Cuba Gooding Jr. was the protagonist of one of the more memorable moments of the film. The peculiar scene was written by the screenwriter Andy Breckman, after read an article in a tabloid in which is shown a transcript of 'I Love Lucy'.