Parents need to know that The Great Race has some slapstick violence, and one character drinks too much. The reporter played by Natalie Wood is something of a caricature of feminism, more committed to shocking people than to any thoughtful concept of equality. But she has an unquenchable spirit, and she's courageous and resilient. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
I liked this movie well enough. It reminded me faintly of Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (another race movie that came out the same year). The cast is excellent with Tony Curtis as the good guy who always wears white, Jack Lemmon as the bad guy who always wears black, and Natalie Wood as the romantic interest/sex appeal. Parts of this film are humorous. Some of the action scenes and stunts are fun to watch and the overall tone of the film is light-hearted and amusing. My problem with this film is that it simply contains too much questionable content for the 6+ rating that Common Sense Media has given it. Natalie Wood and other women frequently are clad in very little. In one scene, Natalie Wood emerges dripping wet from a lake dressed only in a corset which leaves very, very little to the imagination. Sexual comments are veiled, but occur fairly frequently. The violence is not so much of an issue as it is mostly comical with the exception of one slightly bloody sword-fight. All those scantily-clad females are my biggest problem with this film. I really don't want my male siblings exposed to women dressed that way. I can watch the film with them and skip some parts, but it's not a film I can just stick on for them and then leave the room. Also, I think I should mention that it can be a pretty tedious film at times with parts of it being quite repetitive and/or boring. SUMMARY: Poorly paced film has some amusing parts and some good stunts, but may be too racy for family viewing.
I think this is one the whole family can enjoy. There is very mild violence in the form of sword fights and fist fights but nothing truly scary. There is also some kissing but very G-rated. Mainly there is a lot of action that keeps the story moving and humour for young and old alike. The villain is funny, not scary and the girl isn't content to be rescued but she will use it as a ploy. Recommend for all ages.
What's the Story?
In THE GREAT RACE, always dressed in impeccable white, the Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) is a good guy so good that his eyes and teeth literally twinkle. The bad guy is Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon). They both enter an automobile race from New York to Paris. So does beautiful reporter Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood), to prove she can get the story -- dressed in an endless series of exquisite ensembles. The race takes them across America, through the Wild West, to a rapidly melting ice floe in the Pacific, and into a European setting that is a cross between a Victor Herbert operetta and The Prisoner of Zenda, where a spoiled prince happens to look exactly like Professor Fate and it takes all of the stars to foil an evil baron who wants to use Fate to take over the throne.
It's a perfect family movie, just plain fun from beginning to end; it may also provide an opportunity for a discussion of competition and sportsmanship. Dedicated to Laurel and Hardy, The Great Race is both a spoof and a loving tribute to the silent classics, with good guys, bad guys, romance, adventure, slapstick, music, wonderful antique cars, and the biggest pie fight in history.
At the end, Leslie deliberately loses as a gesture of devotion to Maggie. Professor Fate shows some sense of honor -- apparently it is all right for him to cheat to win, but not all right to win by having Leslie refuse to compete. "You cheated -- I refuse to accept!" Modern adults may wince a bit at Dubois' notion of how to attain equal opportunity -- she ultimately succeeds by showing her leg to the editor, who becomes too dazed to argue further. But like Mary Poppins, it provides a chance to remind children that at that time, women did not even have the right to vote.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Leslie should have let Fate win in The Great Race. Why wasn't Fate happy when he beat Leslie? Why was Fate so jealous of Leslie?
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
