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The Great Race (1965)

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Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 22
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 5

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 0

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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 8,177

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Movie Info

Tony Curtis stars as The Great Leslie, a hero among heroes whose purity of heart is manifested by his spotlessly white wardrobe. Leslie's great rival, played by Jack Lemmon, is Professor Fate, a scowling, mustachioed, top-hatted, black-garbed villain. Long envious of Leslie's record-setting accomplishments with airships and sea craft, Professor Fate schemes to win a 22,000-mile auto race from New York City to Paris by whatever insidious means possible. The problem is that Fate is his own worst

Unrated, 2 hr. 40 min.

Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Romance, Classics, Comedy

Directed By: Blake Edwards

Written By: Blake Edwards, Arthur A. Ross, Arthur Ross

In Theaters: Jul 1, 1965 Wide

On DVD: Jun 4, 2002

Warner Home Video

The Great Race Trailer & Photos

Cast

Jack Lemmon
Prof. Fate
Tony Curtis
The Great Leslie
Natalie Wood
Maggie DuBois
Peter Falk
Max
Keenan Wynn
Hezekiah
Arthur O'Connell
Henry Goodbody
Vivian Vance
Hester Goodbody
Dorothy Provine
Lily Olay
Larry Storch
Texas Jack
Ross Martin
Baron Rolfe Von Stuppe
George Macready
Gen. Kuhster
Marvin Kaplan
Frisbee
Denver Pyle
Sheriff
William Bryant
Soldier
Ken Wales
Soldier
Richard Alexander
Extra
Greg Benedict
Paul Bryar
Policeman
Charles E. Fredericks
M.C.
Chuck Hayward
Soldier
Clegg Hoyt
Man
Frank Kreig
Starter
Francis McDonald
Russian
J. Edward McKinley
Chairman
Joyce Nizzari
Women in Western Scene
Hal Riddle
Baker
Johnny Silver
John Truax
Prison Guard
Blake Edwards
Hal Smith
Lord Mayor
Paul L. Smith
Employee
Joe Palma
Conductor
Robert S. Carson
Vice Chairman
Chester Hayes
Man in Bear Suit
Art Stewart
Man

Critic Reviews for The Great Race

All Critics (22) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (5) | DVD (14)

Lemmon plays it dirty throughout and for huge effect. Curtis underplays for equally comic effect. Wood comes through on a par with the two male stars.

May 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

It's highly inventive, self-conscious camp, made in 1965, well before the genre wore itself out in superciliousness.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Comedy masterpiece, and one of the few films to look at votes for women.

January 7, 2011 Full Review Source: Classic Film and Television

| Comment

Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Perfect family movie is fun from beginning to end.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Laughs aplenty! Lemmon is hilarious!

October 26, 2008 Comment

Clint Morris

Tsunami Magazine

Both panned and praised when it was released, this zany cross-continental romp zooms ahead full throttle for all of its 157 minutes.

May 6, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

This is one of those spectacular comedy star vehicles which is perfectly watchable on a wet Sunday afternoon but which, looked at from almost any other perspective, is just a waste of celluloid.

May 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

Not a great film but one with some funny moments and line of stars.

July 4, 2005 Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk save this overblown comedy that tries too hard to be too slapstick.

June 26, 2003 Comment

Bob Bloom

Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Everything a farce should be, played straight while being seriously silly.

April 27, 2003 Comment

Andrea Chase

Killer Movie Reviews

Goofy and overblown, but still hard to resist.

December 30, 2002 Comment

Rob Vaux

Flipside Movie Emporium

A lumbering behemoth of 160 minutes of overproduced, overbearing overkill.

August 21, 2002 Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

| Comment

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

An amiable comedy full of chase, chase, fall-down, chase.

July 25, 2002 Comment

Scott Weinberg

eFilmCritic.com

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Great Race

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The film does drag on somewhat slowly, it makes up for it for one lone reason and one lone reason only, JACK LEMMON AS PROFESSOR FATE!!! He is so damn funny to watch, and I think the comedy on how he acts comes from the Looney Tunes, particularly Daffy Duck, who I am inspired by quite a bit as well, and it really works

October 10, 2011

Michael Edwards

Super Reviewer

The fun of this tribute (of sorts) to the old silent films is watching the cast simply live it up. Curtis gets to hero it, Wood gets to sexy all American girl it, and Lemmon and the recently deceased Falk get to revel as the very bad guy and his untrustworthy assistant it. Plenty of shining moments by supporting

August 8, 2011

moon rivers

Super Reviewer

The Great Race Quotes

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1. Max: Who's Texas JACK?!
– Submitted by Jacob D (9 months ago)

Submit a Quote from 'The Great Race'

A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.

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Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try.
Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.