... limp and dreadfully dull.
Welcome to Mooseport (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:143
Fresh:19
Rotten:124
Average Rating:4.2/10
Consensus: A bland comedy that squanders a talented cast.
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: The quiet, charming town of Mooseport, Maine is invaded by the former president of the country in this Capraesque comedy starring Ray Romano and Gene Hackman. Monroe "The Eagle" Cole (Gene Hackman)... The quiet, charming town of Mooseport, Maine is invaded by the former president of the country in this Capraesque comedy starring Ray Romano and Gene Hackman. Monroe "The Eagle" Cole (Gene Hackman) is a hugely popular Clinton-era former president, who retires to bucolic Mooseport, Maine after a bitter divorce from his wife (Christine Baranski). Coincidentally, Mooseport is in need of a new mayor and Cole steps in to what he thinks will be a one-man race and a much-needed publicity boost. However, local handyman and plumber Handy Harrison (Ray Romano) has entered the race as well, complicating the no-contest election. Handy is a beloved Mooseport local, well-liked but incapable of committing to his long-time girlfriend Sally Mannis (Maura Tierney). Sally has spent the last seven years waiting for Handy to propose and so, when a smitten Cole asks her out on a dinner date, she eagerly accepts in hopes of making Handy jealous. It works, turning the race into a personal and political rivalry as Handy fights not only the mayorship but also to regain Sally's heart. Supporting stars include Marcia Gay Harden and Rip Torn as members of Cole's staff, who help to launch a full-scale campaign in the town of less than a thousand people. [More]
Starring: Gene Hackman, Ray Romano, Maura Tierney, Christine Baranski
Starring: Gene Hackman, Ray Romano, Maura Tierney, Christine Baranski, Marcia Gay Harden, Fred Savage, Rip Torn
Director: Donald Petrie
Director: Donald Petrie
Screenwriter: Tom Schulman
Story: Doug Richardson
Producer: Tom Schulman, Basil Iwanyk, Mark Frydman
Composer: John Debny
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Welcome to Mooseport
Like a politician courting voters, Welcome to Mooseport steers away from anything controversial, content to steer a safe, inoffensive middle-of-the-road comedic course.
Welcome to Mooseport has no bite, no edge, and no discernable drive when it comes to making with the yuks.
...we’ve seen more funny flexibility from a tedious filibuster in the US Senate. It's basically a political ping pong match being played clumsily without the paddles.
Delivers on a fundamental and familiar level, so that those of a certain age and inclination will be charmed.
It doesn't have that extra spark required to make it anything but instantly forgettable.
This toothless political comedy fumbles its various opportunities to deflate the pomposity of politicians.
A movie marred by a flaccid script, listless pacing, a plethora of cutesy-poo gags and Ray Romano.
Donald Petrie's movie is so over-laundered that it has completely sacrificed shape for comfort.
Welcome to Mooseport is the movie equivalent of a bowl of unadorned oatmeal: It's bland, a bit lumpy and, though it'll tide you over until something better comes along, you won't look back fondly on the experience.
Petrie made Grumpy Old Men, which appealed to the same older audience Welcome to Mooseport apparently is going after ... Both films suffer from a flatness and uneven pacing that make them slow going.
At its best (half the time), the film is cute; when it isn't, it seems like a blank screen.
Latest News for Welcome to Mooseport
July 13, 2005:
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May 19, 2005:
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