It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - Okay

7/10/2017

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney
Director: Stanley Kramer
Runtime: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Categories: Action, Comedy

I had been putting off watching this movie for the longest time because of its run time. I don't have a very long attention span for an adult, so sitting through 2 hours and 40 minutes of movie was not sounding too fun. Well, I just wanted to let you know it wasn't, I ended up baking a pie as I watched it. The film itself though wasn't terrible. Four cars pull over to the side of the road to help a man who's car flew off the cliff. In his dying words, he tells that that he's buried loot somewhere and wants these strangers to find it. After debating if they should just split the money, it's determined to be every man for himself and the race is on. Reminded me a lot of Rat Race.

Along the way alliances are made, broken, and new contenders are thrown into the mix. The police are watching their every move, but not doing anything about all the car accidents or other problems that arise. Each "team" has their problems along the way, from needing to hitch-hike, to getting a plane ride, and getting locked inside a store.

There are a ton of characters in this film, but for once here is a movie that I can actually keep up with them and know what's going on. Yes, there is a lot of characters but I'm not lost (and that is usually where I am, lost). Spencer Tracy plays Captain Culpepper (Tracy is also in the Jekyll & Hyde film I reviewed last week, coincidence?) who is the lead detective on a heist the dead man went through with. Milton Berle plays Russell Finch, Sid Caesar plays Melville Camp, Buddy Hackett plays Benjy Benjamin, Ethyl Merman plays Mrs. Marcus (and is by far the most annoying character during this race to the treasure), Mickey Rooney plays Ding Bell, and there are more than just that but I'll stop there.

Before David added this movie to the list, I had never heard of it. And though it wasn't terrible to watch, even though long, I still think I could have lived without watching it or knowing about it. It's one of the better comedies I've seen in awhile even though it didn't really make me laugh, the action is what really intrigued me. It was a tad strange having an "intermission" part of the movie while watching it at home on DVD, that's about when I started baking a pie. I'll give this film an "okay" rating.