Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

SnoopyStyle It's the turn of the century America. The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) and Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) are competing daredevils performing for the crowds. The Great Leslie convinces the new car-makers to sponsor a race from New York to Paris. Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood) is a suffragette. Maximilian Meen (Peter Falk) is Fate's assistant. These and many others set off westward towards the Bering Strait and Russia in their automobiles.Director Blake Edwards tries his hand at a road race movie. A few of these comedies got made during this era. It's got some slapstick but it's not that funny. The characters tend to be very wacky especially Jack Lemmon. The production is big and no expense is spared. Despite its pedigree, I do not find enough laughs in this screwball comedy.

implaxis As I've rewatched this movie a few times I have come to appreciate it even more. Epic, yet episodic, and much more entertaining than the similar yet staid "Around the World in 80 Days". The extras budget alone on this must have been enormous! Granted, there isn't a lot of actual "racing" shown but the encounters along the way are memorable. The longer version is an event for an evening, one that includes the Overture, Entr'acte, and Exit Music. Also best seen in hi-definition.The humor can be variously described as madcap, slapstick, cartoony, but rarely subtle. Still, even if there are only a few belly-laugh moments, this picture is loaded with elements that can make one chuckle throughout.The photography and location work is beautiful, the actors perfect for their roles (although Natalie Wood hams up the "cartoony" factor by quite a bit - nevertheless, she is quite lovely to look at.) Jack Lemmon as Professor Fate is one of the all-time best screen villains ever.The longer version is an event for an evening, one that includes the Overture, Entr'acte, and Exit Music. Also best seen in hi-definition. Funny, I never once thought of Lemmon and Curtis having also been together in that other famous comedy until someone mentioned it to me. I like this one so much more.

AaronCapenBanner Blake Edwards directed this long farce about a professional daredevil(played by Tony Curtis as "The Great Leslie") who decides, in order to promote automobile sales, to stage a New York to Paris road race. He is challenged and relentlessly pursued by arch-rival Professor Fate(played very broadly by Jack Lemmon) and his inept assistant Max(Peter Falk). The beautiful Natalie Wood plays feminist/suffragette Maggie Dubois, who uses her connection to the local newspaper to attach herself to Leslie, much to his consternation.Plot goes on far too long, but even worse, is seldom funny, since it labors for laughs by throwing in everything from a (literally) mustache-twirling villain, to an extended pie-throwing fight, among assorted car crashes and crazy plot developments.Good cast cannot save it.

MissSimonetta Are grand slapstick films like this even made any longer? It seems even the children's comedies nowadays are vulgar and cynical. Not that I'm saying vulgar and cynical can't be entertaining, but it would be nice if there was still room for fare like The Great Race (1965), one of the breeziest comedy spectacles ever made. It's no exaggeration when I say that this is a film that will make you feel like a kid again.The plot itself is like a Saturday morning cartoon of old: a daredevil named the Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) is partaking in an automobile race from New York to Paris, joined by his lackey Hezekiah (Keenan Wynn) and the reporter Miss Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood). On the journey, he has to contend with his mustache-twirling rival Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) and his minion Max (Peter Falk), both willing to do anything to make sure they beat Leslie. The film is episodic, covering their misadventures across the globe.Though It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) is what comes to mind when people think of the short-lived genre of epic comedy, The Great Race is far superior due to focusing on five main characters and running at twenty minutes under three hours. Unlike the earlier film, this one knows when to give you a breather before delivering another volley of gags. The look of the movie itself is easy on the eyes, colorful and warm. The costumes are the stuff of cartoons: Leslie is always in an immaculately white suit and cap, Fate is head to toe in black, and Miss DuBois' outfits (which are wont to change even within the same scene!) come in every color on the rainbow.All the players are great, but the one everyone always remembers is Jack Lemmon's outrageous mustachioed villain, Professor Fate. He leaves much more of an impression then the film's white clad hero, but then again, don't the bad guys usually do? You can tell Lemmon is having the time of his life and consequently, so do we.A perfect film for a rainy day.