Gumball Rally is an unauthorized race between a bunch of rich folks with high performance cars that periodically issue each other spontaneous race challenges through the private invitation code, "Gumball!"
The race starts in the New York City auto shop garage of one of the competitors, as the racers embark on a wild trek west to Long Beach, CA, using any route they wish. An obsessed New York cop somehow knows about these races, and provides an obstacle to escape (but usually he ends up being the victim of practical jokes). No money is involved in winning, just pride and the trophy: a gum ball machine.
The movie is action packed with the mindless fun you would expect from this premise. With a variety of screwball characters encountering wild situations as they tear down the road at intense speeds, the action is continuous. Occasional bizarre mishaps eliminate a few cars from the running, and each of these events are highlights in the story. There are ten unique teams, including the defending champion (Michael Sarrazin), a wild Italian "ringer" (Raul Julia), two fake cops, two beautiful women, a maniacal motorcyclist, and several others.
The only fault was the absolutely unnecessary subplot of some stupid guy driving an expensive car across the country for his rich boss. The story is completely irrelevant, and makes no sense as he's driving at low speeds (as directed by the car owner) yet maintains the same progress across the continent as the racers. When I run the movie, I fast forward through the scenes of this story--it really does detract from the fun of the race story.
That portion of the movie notwithstanding, this movie is an example of popcorn entertainment. No cerebral activity required, just have a good time watching the silliness.
The race starts in the New York City auto shop garage of one of the competitors, as the racers embark on a wild trek west to Long Beach, CA, using any route they wish. An obsessed New York cop somehow knows about these races, and provides an obstacle to escape (but usually he ends up being the victim of practical jokes). No money is involved in winning, just pride and the trophy: a gum ball machine.
The movie is action packed with the mindless fun you would expect from this premise. With a variety of screwball characters encountering wild situations as they tear down the road at intense speeds, the action is continuous. Occasional bizarre mishaps eliminate a few cars from the running, and each of these events are highlights in the story. There are ten unique teams, including the defending champion (Michael Sarrazin), a wild Italian "ringer" (Raul Julia), two fake cops, two beautiful women, a maniacal motorcyclist, and several others.
The only fault was the absolutely unnecessary subplot of some stupid guy driving an expensive car across the country for his rich boss. The story is completely irrelevant, and makes no sense as he's driving at low speeds (as directed by the car owner) yet maintains the same progress across the continent as the racers. When I run the movie, I fast forward through the scenes of this story--it really does detract from the fun of the race story.
That portion of the movie notwithstanding, this movie is an example of popcorn entertainment. No cerebral activity required, just have a good time watching the silliness.