Rat Race
John Powell
" Wild music that makes you run for money bags "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
2001 was the breakthrough year for John Powell. With Shrek, I Am Sam, Evolution, Just Visiting and Rat Race, he was able to give us fantasy music, dramatic music, action / comedy music, comedy music and ... well crazy music. You see, Rat Race wasn't your typical comedy film. It was a crazy absurd but downright hilarious comedy about a dozen people who went on a crazy run to catch a lot of money. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Whoopie Goldberg, John Lovitz, John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson, Rat Race was fast craziness, enlightened by an even crazier comedic score.
John Powell gave the people a clear representation of his skills that year, because this remains definitely one of his most original scores yet. Sure it has the rhythmic energy that we discover in a lot of his scores today, but Rat Race adds to it unseen hilarious music, heightening the absurd escapades that the people go through on this wild money hunt. In the end, it gives you a listening experience that will kill you, if you aren't willing to run along with it.
Rat Race may present its 26 tracks in a 36 minute score, but luckily Powell keeps it stylish and presentable. And if you don't get lost during the listen, these are the moments that you must pay attention at. Who would have thought that the charming soft main theme in "Let's Meet Our Contestants" would turn into a comedic frenzy, once you passed the marker in "The Chase Begins".
Enjoy the choir's first performance in "A Very Special Reception", the Enrico Pollinni theme (which reminds me of the lovely Life is Beautiful theme) in "The Chase Begins", all before the mayhem truly unravels, carrying a lot of energy and laughs. Don't forget the main theme on sitar in "Pollini Wakes and Owen Gets Some Clothes" and the absolutely fantastic mambo version of the main theme in "Chase to the Balloons". The most hilarious comedy moment comes however in "The Lucys Chase Owen and Third Reich in the Parking Lot", giving John Powell the chance to underscore this with a trumpet march briefly at the end.
The score excels however at the various moments when John Powell incorporates The London Voices into his already rich score. Because you can't possibly imagine what it would be without it? "Helicopter Dance" screams a storm forward through the use of propellers, the same for the choir on steroids in "Bike Dyke Attack". The most hilarious efforts are discovered however in "Arrival at Silver City" and "Grisham Runs Off With the Hooker", both giving the main theme the most thunderous choral versions the race has ever known.
Yet luckily there's a catch. Sometimes greed doesn't always prevail. And so John Powell can give "All the Little Children" a nice resolving and explosive finish.
You know, there are examples in a composer's career that provide the listener the proof that some people are born for this job. Usually these are Oscar contenders and downright classics that survive the test of time. But Rat Race is definitely John Powell's proof in the comedy genre, because this is a failed effort rescued by one composer's stylistic voice and creativity. Hands down, Rat Race is hilarious fun, excessive energy and comedic joy in one of the most breathtaking listening experiences of John Powell's career.
Tracklisting
1. Let's Meet Our Contestants (1.46)
2. A Very Special Reception (0.47)
3. I'll Take the Stairs (0.23)
4. The Chase Begins (3.29) Excellent track
5. Flights Cancelled (1.16)
6. Roswell, New Mexico? (0.47)
7. The Cabbie Dumps Owen (0.52)
8. The Squirrel Lady (0.33)
9. Helicopter Dance (2.18) Excellent track
10. Switch Keys and Should Have Bought A Squirrel (0.56)
11. Pollini Wakes and Owen Gets Some Clothes (0.50)
12. Wanna See A Heart? (1.12)
13. Stealing Some Gas (0.32)
14. Chase to the Balloons (0.59) Excellent track
15. I Lost My Heart to A Dog (0.41)
16. Bike Dyke Attack (0.41)
17. All Alone in the World (0.46)
18. From a Rocket Car to a Nut Bus (1.51)
19. A Family on Drugs! (0.45)
20. The Lucys Chase Owen and Third Reich in the Parking Lot (1.36)
21. Arrival at Silver City (3.47) Excellent track
22. Grisham Runs Off With The Hooker (1.05) Excellent track
23. Tour Bus Crash (0.29)
24. All the Little Children (3.20) Excellent track
25. La Habañera Loca (1.57)
26. Before We Were Russian (1.46)
Total Length: 36.14
John Powell gave the people a clear representation of his skills that year, because this remains definitely one of his most original scores yet. Sure it has the rhythmic energy that we discover in a lot of his scores today, but Rat Race adds to it unseen hilarious music, heightening the absurd escapades that the people go through on this wild money hunt. In the end, it gives you a listening experience that will kill you, if you aren't willing to run along with it.
Rat Race may present its 26 tracks in a 36 minute score, but luckily Powell keeps it stylish and presentable. And if you don't get lost during the listen, these are the moments that you must pay attention at. Who would have thought that the charming soft main theme in "Let's Meet Our Contestants" would turn into a comedic frenzy, once you passed the marker in "The Chase Begins".
Enjoy the choir's first performance in "A Very Special Reception", the Enrico Pollinni theme (which reminds me of the lovely Life is Beautiful theme) in "The Chase Begins", all before the mayhem truly unravels, carrying a lot of energy and laughs. Don't forget the main theme on sitar in "Pollini Wakes and Owen Gets Some Clothes" and the absolutely fantastic mambo version of the main theme in "Chase to the Balloons". The most hilarious comedy moment comes however in "The Lucys Chase Owen and Third Reich in the Parking Lot", giving John Powell the chance to underscore this with a trumpet march briefly at the end.
The score excels however at the various moments when John Powell incorporates The London Voices into his already rich score. Because you can't possibly imagine what it would be without it? "Helicopter Dance" screams a storm forward through the use of propellers, the same for the choir on steroids in "Bike Dyke Attack". The most hilarious efforts are discovered however in "Arrival at Silver City" and "Grisham Runs Off With the Hooker", both giving the main theme the most thunderous choral versions the race has ever known.
Yet luckily there's a catch. Sometimes greed doesn't always prevail. And so John Powell can give "All the Little Children" a nice resolving and explosive finish.
You know, there are examples in a composer's career that provide the listener the proof that some people are born for this job. Usually these are Oscar contenders and downright classics that survive the test of time. But Rat Race is definitely John Powell's proof in the comedy genre, because this is a failed effort rescued by one composer's stylistic voice and creativity. Hands down, Rat Race is hilarious fun, excessive energy and comedic joy in one of the most breathtaking listening experiences of John Powell's career.
Tracklisting
1. Let's Meet Our Contestants (1.46)
2. A Very Special Reception (0.47)
3. I'll Take the Stairs (0.23)
4. The Chase Begins (3.29) Excellent track
5. Flights Cancelled (1.16)
6. Roswell, New Mexico? (0.47)
7. The Cabbie Dumps Owen (0.52)
8. The Squirrel Lady (0.33)
9. Helicopter Dance (2.18) Excellent track
10. Switch Keys and Should Have Bought A Squirrel (0.56)
11. Pollini Wakes and Owen Gets Some Clothes (0.50)
12. Wanna See A Heart? (1.12)
13. Stealing Some Gas (0.32)
14. Chase to the Balloons (0.59) Excellent track
15. I Lost My Heart to A Dog (0.41)
16. Bike Dyke Attack (0.41)
17. All Alone in the World (0.46)
18. From a Rocket Car to a Nut Bus (1.51)
19. A Family on Drugs! (0.45)
20. The Lucys Chase Owen and Third Reich in the Parking Lot (1.36)
21. Arrival at Silver City (3.47) Excellent track
22. Grisham Runs Off With The Hooker (1.05) Excellent track
23. Tour Bus Crash (0.29)
24. All the Little Children (3.20) Excellent track
25. La Habañera Loca (1.57)
26. Before We Were Russian (1.46)
Total Length: 36.14