Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

vincentlynch-moonoi Well, this movie surprised me. I was expecting a light comedy. You know, Debbie Reynolds -- Miss "Bundle Of Joy". And then I find her playing a down-and-almost-out character in New York City who is on the verge of plying the oldest trade in the world to make pretty skimpy ends meet. And then, after she falls in love with Tony Curtis, she agrees to in order to get him money to buy instruments.No, this is no comedy. It's a rather serious look at what some people will do to make their dreams come true, all the while just struggling to make it through. The ending is a bit of a let down...at least it was for me.What's also interesting about this film is the cast. Tony Curtis as the small town sax player who hopes to strike it big in New York City. Reynolds as the hope-to-be model who is struggling in New York City. Jack Okie in a swell performance as the local bartender. A young Kay Medford as the landlady (it took me a while to realize it was her). Don Rickles in a truly despicable role. A relatively young Norman Fell as a telephone man. And in small roles, real jazz men Sam Butera and Joe Bushkin.I recommend that...at least once. It's interesting, a little different, and not what you expect it to be.

MartinHafer Why the producers decided to cast New Yorker Tony Curtis in the film, I just can't understand. Why would they cast him of all people considering he is supposed to be playing a guy from Milwaukee who gets lost in the big bad city of New York? With his very strong New York accent, it just didn't make sense. Listening to him, he sounded like he should have been perfectly at home in the Bronx or Brooklyn! Fortunately, the rest of the movie is so good that I really didn't mind the odd casting. In fact, Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds were excellent in the film--with acting and dialog that seemed pretty realistic. They both play "starving artists" who come to New York but find success is somehow always out of sight. I teach at an art school and would like to show this to my students so they can, perhaps, see what it usually is like on the slow road to making a living.I also appreciated how the writers didn't allow the film to slide too far into sentimentality even though this was a romantic-comedy of sorts. That means when there can be a magical scene where things all work out perfectly, the writers chose instead to allow for a more realistic moment where things worked out,...somewhat. My favorite example was near the end when it appeared that Curtis' musical instruments unexpectedly re-appeared. This LOOKS like a "happily ever after moment" but there is a great twist--a twist that reminds us that in this film, just like in real life, Murphy's Law so often applies. To me, the real magic in the film is how despite all these setbacks and problems, the couple STILL manage to find each other and some shred of happiness. And, if you think about it, this is a great lesson for everyone.A nice, romantic, funny but occasionally sad and cynical little film about life and little people.By the way, look for Don Rickles in one of his earliest roles. He plays a guy who is amazingly creepy and cruel--quite a change from his later comedic roles. Also, the sweet guy behind the bar is Jack Oakie in one of his later roles

JasparLamarCrabb One of the better Debbie Reynolds vehicles of the 60s, but still not particularly good. Reynolds plays a NYC dance hall girl living on the skids in Kay Medford's seedy apartment house. Through a depressing series of misfortunes, she ends up with struggling musician Tony Curtis as a roommate. Every crisis imaginable befalls the couple as they try to "make it" in the big city. Despite the presence of comics Medford and Jack Oakie (who together act as a sort of skid row Greek chorus), THE RAT RACE is pretty bleak. Director Robert Mulligan makes a point of avoiding any humor (except for the many verbal jabs Reynolds lobs at nice guy Curtis) and the lack of levity leaves the film dead. Norman Fell appears in a brief and very uncomfortable scene as a telephone repairman whom Reynolds convinces not to shut off her phone. In a very rare straight role, Don Rickles plays Reynold's sleazy boss.

glennsart Everytime I see this movie I am reminded what a fine big screen actor Don Rickles is. You tend to think of his small screen work and comedy routines as being the scope of his ability but that is not the case. Without Rickles' fine acting The Rat Race would have fell flat. In my opinion, he stole the show.