Rat Race

Jerry Zucker's remake of the 1963 Cinerama lunacyfest It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World has a fast-paced loopiness that's hard to resist. Given that ethos, Rat Race's sunny collection of recent hit-makers (Baha Men, Smash Mouth) and pop warhorses (Aretha Franklin, Hot Chocolate, the Four Tops) seems a good, if not exactly groundbreaking, fit. And if the Baha Men's title track (also represented in a decidedly silly mix with full choir) only reinforces their reputation as one-hit wonders, that hit (the by-now ubiquitous "Who Let the Dogs Out") also makes its first film appearance since its legendary debut in The Rugrats in Paris. Smash Mouth's good-natured modern poke at stardom, "All Star," gets treated to a more rhythmically complex remake, while Colony and Better Than Ezra join the relative weightlessness with the inviting "Happy" and "I Do," respectively. John Powell's colorful, humorous score is also represented in a brief suite. - Jerry McCulley