Director:
Donald Petrie

Category: Comedy

Cast:
Gene Hackman
Ray Romano
Maura Tierney
Marcia Gay Harden

Official URL:

http://www.welcometomooseport.com

Country: USA
Rating: PG-13
Studio Name: Twentieth Century Fox
Running Time: 1 hr 42 mins
Release Date: February 20, 2004

Critics's Rating:
(2 Reels) 

February 20, 2004

By Veronica Mixon

From the opening reel when the townspeople casually greet a naked jogger meandering through a traffic jam on Main Street, it's clear that Welcome to Mooseport has loads of folk charms and laughs. This light comedy about a former president (Gene Hackman) who gets sucked into running for mayor against the local plumber (Ray Romano) in a little Maine town should be laugh out loud funny. It certainly has a quaint setting and a good cast that includes Marcia Gay Harden, Rip Torn, Fred Savage, Christine Baranski and Maura Tierny. However, Mooseport quickly loses steam.

As former President Hackman battles his greedy wife Baranski in a bitter divorce and sees his former vacation home in Mooseport as a refuge. Naturally, she wants him to sell it. Meanwhile, Romano of TV’s Raymond plays the longtime boyfriend of the local vet Maura Tierny (TV’s ER). She wants to get married but he doesn’t have a clue. So, when Hackman shows interest in her, Romano jealously challenges him.

It’s an excellent premise for a romantic comedy because the quirky townsfolk who seemingly outwit the slick Washington posse that surrounds Hackman does produce some mild humor. However, the entire movie gets bogged down after the initial confrontation. The audience that I viewed the film with became a bit restless. Frankly, they expected more especially since the film has such a good cast.

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