|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to Mooseport review
2004.03.25 — Entertainment | Movies | Movie Reviews | by Andrew Cole
|
The president runs for mayor against a plumber. [official site] |
Ray Romano goes toe-to-toe with Gene Hackman in his first (live-action) feature film, Welcome to Mooseport. Hackman is the former president of the United States who has come to Mooseport to retire. Romano is the local handyman who can't commit to long-time girlfriend Maura Tierney (from TV's ER and News Radio) and risks losing her to the charming former president. Good luck, Ray.
Rip Torn, Fred Savage, and Marcia Gay Harden assist Hackman's President Cole (no relation) in his whimsical bid for the mayorship (mayoracy? mayorality?) of Mooseport, at which point Romano's Handy Harrison takes action. Christine Baransky, as the ex-prez's ex-wife, assists Handy as only a vindictive movie ex-wife can.
Director Donald Petrie has an uneven track record, having done How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Miss Congeniality, The Associate (with Whoopi Goldberg), Richie Rich, Grumpy Old Men, and Mystic Pizza (If I were unkind, I would suggest that these aren't uneven at all...). It doesn't help that Welcome to Mooseport was written by a couple of Hollywood hacks with some real stinkers attached to them (Money Train, Die Hard 2, Holy Man, 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag). On the other hand, if you liked Bad Boys, Dead Poets Society, or What About Bob? there's reason for hope for something beyond a charming cast.
|
But alas, in the end, Mooseport is about whether or not you like that charming cast. |
But alas, in the end, Mooseport is about whether or not you like that charming cast. Romano doesn't translate well to the big screen, and his character gets surprisingly little sympathy from the writers. He's a dork and a failure as a romantic; it's hard to see why Tierney was ever interested in him in the first place. Even he can't explain it.
Tierney's flirtation with the president is purely a lark... unfortunately. Hackman is commanding and charming, altho the script puts him in some pretty preposterous positions. Why wouldn't he pull out as soon as he finds out that someone else is already running for mayor? It has to be less embarrassing than to actually run a campaign. How could the president's mayoral campaign spend so much money that they have to reduce the size of his library? Multiple times? How could they cancel entremely lucrative speaking engagements without telling him? How could he not know that his Secret Service detail cheats at golf for him? Actually, the entire presidential entourage seems to get dumber as the film goes on: Secret Service agents, PR man, the president himself....
|
...any movie with a veterinarian... is desperate to be liked. |
The film makes the usual mockery of small town life, with ridiculous local customs (rock-paper-scissors decides how the debate will begin) and personalities (an old guy who walks around naked). There are laugh-out-loud moments, but not enough of them and none of them especially memorable.
Lastly, this film contains a veterinarian, which brings to mind my theory that any movie with a veterinarian or kindergarten teacher is desperate to be liked.
f e e d b a c k
Respond to this page by your e-mail client. Please be sure to mention the title of the article.
