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The Great Race

Play trailer Poster for The Great Race 1965 2h 30m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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68% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A spectacular land race from New York to Paris in the early 20th century is planned, the two main competitors being the handsome, dashing hero in white, The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis), and the dastardly, black-suited Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon). While Fate's sidekick, Max (Peter Falk), attempts to sabotage Leslie and the other racers, Leslie finds an unlikely ally in Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood), a suffragette and journalist-turned-racer whose car breaks down halfway through the event.
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The Great Race

Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/28/2010
4/5
Perfect family movie is fun from beginning to end. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 05/06/2008
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. Go to Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 01/01/2000
It's highly inventive, self-conscious camp, made in 1965, well before the genre wore itself out in superciliousness. Go to Full Review Serge Daney Cahiers du Cinéma 02/14/2024
A relatively disappointing film, The Great Race is nevertheless one that Blake Edwards dreamt of making for years , the pure cartoon that his previous films foreshadowed. Was he wrong to strive increasingly towards the cartoonish? Go to Full Review Pauline Kael McCall's 09/19/2023
It’s degrading to waste nights at these movies: The Great Race is a three-hour Tom and Jerry cartoon -- without animation. Go to Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending 03/01/2022
2.5/5
If The Great Race flubs the "comedy" half of a comedy super-production, it's pretty good at the super-production half. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Frank B @RT28767711 5d It is my go to film for laugh out loud escapism. I bought it & watch it a few times a year. The cast is perfect. Jack Lemon should have won Best Actor Award. I think anybody can do drama or action. But real slapstick comedy like this one and to pull it off brings out the true actor's ability. But it is excellent comedy escapism. Enjoy. See more Eric B @EBergerud Mar 10 This movie is a hoot from start to finish. The sure scope of the flick is amazing. And when the Great Leslie has a literal sparkle when he smiles, it sets the mood. Dr. Doom's schemes all fail - and are all funny to watch. The pie fight is something of a highlight I suppose, but there are so many memorable scenes it's hard to single one out. See more Richard W @poeter Feb 2 One of my all-time favorite movies. It is unique, one of a kind and special. The actors were at the peak of their careers and the music and acting and scenery and stunts and everything else were just superb. I could watch this movie every day and never find a dull moment. 5 stars to everyone involved in its making. There will never be another like it. See more Alejandro C @RT83737709 May 1 La película que más veces he visto en mi vida. La he visto 22 veces y nunca me canso. El Profesor Fate, Max y El Gran Leslie siempre me han acompañado a lo largo demi vida. Una película 🎥 absolutamente genial 👍🥇🥇 Siempre le estaré agradecido a Blacke Edwards. See more Tom Y @RT77934742 06/23/2024 Ok, this is a very dated movie & when I watched it as a kid countless times on TV I delighted in it. See? That’s the campiness of it. If it’s a choice between The Hunger Games or something else for your 8 yr old child, hopefully this is available as an option. So, to summarize, my rating as a 62 yr old Army, 3x deployed veteran, it’s maybe a 2 star…as an 8-9 yr old kid, without worries, it’s a 5 star greatest movie ever! See more David K @RT61474040 01/16/2024 Given proper context, it's an okay film but the 60's employed this type of humor way too much, typically leaving me pretty cold. See more Read all reviews
The Great Race

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Cast & Crew

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Blake Edwards

Director

Tony Curtis

The Great Leslie

Jack Lemmon

Professor Fate

Natalie Wood

Maggie Dubois

Peter Falk

Maximilian Meen

Keenan Wynn

Hezekiah Sturdy

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The Great Race

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Movie Info

Synopsis A spectacular land race from New York to Paris in the early 20th century is planned, the two main competitors being the handsome, dashing hero in white, The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis), and the dastardly, black-suited Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon). While Fate's sidekick, Max (Peter Falk), attempts to sabotage Leslie and the other racers, Leslie finds an unlikely ally in Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood), a suffragette and journalist-turned-racer whose car breaks down halfway through the event.
Director
Blake Edwards
Producer
Martin Jurow
Screenwriter
Arthur A. Ross
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 1, 1965, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 30, 2016
Runtime
2h 30m
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