Welcome to Mooseport

It lacks a satirical bite, which would have made the movie more relevant and interesting, but Welcome to Mooseport is an enjoyable comedy anyway. Ray Romano stars, and he proves himself to be quite an excellent comedian on the big screen. Of course, the role isn't that much different from his character on Everybody Loves Raymond, but it's not at all bad to go with what you know. It's worked with any number of comedians in the past, and it should work with Romano. Unfortunately, the movie tanked at the box office and was not liked much by the audiences who did see it. That really surprises me. Gene Hackman co-stars as the former President of the US, Monroe Cole. He is moving to the small Maine town of Mooseport, and some of the citizens persuade him to run for mayor. Unfortunately, others have also persuaded one of the town's upstanding citizens, the hardware store manager, Handy (Romano), to run. Handy is more than willing to drop out (he doesn't care much and doesn't doubt that the ex-President will trounce him), but when Cole unknowingly hits on Handy's girlfriend (Maura Tierney), the war is on. The film could have gone any number of ways at this point, and I expected it to become mean-spirited. But it doesn't. Cole is an egomaniac, which isn't shocking considering his life, and Handy is an extraordinarily nice guy. A little stupid, especially when it comes to his relationship, but he's the guy you'd like to have as a friend. The funniest sequence involves a golf game between the two candidates. There is one piece of this that is just a great example of montage and comic timing. The movie is sweet without getting too sappy. Yet the movie really squanders a lot of opportunities. This could have been a great political satire, and we need one right now. Its worst crime is hiring a cast that is more talented than it needs to be, thus wasting a lot of people in roles that are beneath them, and likely wasting a ton of money because of it. Marcia Gay Harden, one of the hardest working actresses in Hollywood today, and one of the best, is decent as one of the President's handlers. Rip Torn is a dirty campaign manager. Maura Tierney, so very good on the television show News Radio, doesn't have anything to do. Fred Savage, for God's sake, has most of the funniest moments outside of Romano's presence. Whatever complaints I have, I was always enjoying the movie. It's well worth seeing, and it is a must-see for fans of Romano. 7/10.

This movie as not as bad as many would have you believe (including some reviewers here and almost every critic). It's not a great movie, but it has a certain charm and sweetness. I found myself getting antsy at times, but I liked the story overall. I think the main problem is Ray Romano. For one thing, he is not a very good actor and for another, he does not have the charisma needed for movies. Tim Allen's persona, to give one example, translates much better to the big screen. The other actors are good, though, especially Gene Hackman and Maura Tierney. Tierney is very appealing. She should be in more movies. When Hackman and Tierney are on screen, the movie brightens, but when the camera focuses on Romano, the movie sags. I doubt that teens and young adults would like this movie, but if you are over thirty and like romantic comedies, I would recommend it. 6 out of 10

While not laugh out loud funny, this movie was entertaining and amusing. Gene Hackman played the best character, a popular ex-President who moves to his vacation home only to find himself running for mayor. His character is very stereo-typical of what people think of politicians being, which is a good thing. When making speeches, he says what the audience wants to hear, he tries to dig up dirt on the opponent, etc... And Ray Romano is the opponent, Handy who everyone in town knows. He doesn't like to take risks and isn't opinionated. He's been dating Sally for six years, but hasn't popped the question.

Not only do the two run for mayor, they also but heads over Sally. The recently divorced President asks Sally out and she accepts. Of course, his people call the press and they are hounded by cameras. The Pres starts losing book deals and speech tours, so he wants to step down from running but doesn't want it to look like he got beat by his plumber. And the race ends in the happiest way possible.

Some of my favorite scenes were the president's golf game, the ex-first lady calling out the secret service in the woods who are there to throw golf balls for the president. Fred SAvage and his line of sight with the pres; the architect who keeps having to shrink the model of the presidential library. A lot of the political humor was just tongue in cheek.

FINAL VERDICT: I liked it. At least the plot made sense and it was amusing, which is more than I can say for a lot of movies now days. So, if you are looking for some entertainment, I recommend it.

I somehow do not get it why some don't really like this. I mean, it's meant to be a comedy. Anyone living in a small town will kind of relate to this. I may be coming from someone growing up in an urban environment, but all the excitement of someone famous coming to live in a town is always so fun and surreal.

Monroe 'Eagle' Cole (Gene Hackman) had served two successful terms as the president. All he wanted to do is to enjoy his retirement. But his arrival to his hometown of Mooseport had caused some spectacle of sorts.

The last thing on Monroe's mind is to run for Mayor but then he was being persuaded by the local authorities to be one. But then he also had an opponent and it's in the form of local resident Handy Harrison (Ray Romano).

What was meant to be a fair fight for the mayor position had led to an all-out war of sorts, given the ex-president is meeting Handy's girlfriend Sally (Maura Tierney). It was meant to be a casual meeting between Monroe and Sally about discussing about having a pet, but the media had made it into a spectacle. Also around the same time, the former first lady Charlotte Cole (Christine Baranski) had shown up in Mooseport to support Handy to be the mayor.

On the polling day, it was quite a close fight. In fact, very close. It was like no surprise who won in the end.

My knowledge of small-town politics is not that wide, but then I am aware of the humour being thrown into it.

It's meant to be a fun movie, and nothing else. I do kind of like it.

Released in 2004, "Welcome to Mooseport" stars Gene Hackman as ex-president Munroe Cole, who moves to Mooseport, Maine, after his divorce and decides to run for mayor. Ray Romano plays the "Aw shucks" plumber who also decides to run for mayor. In between them is Ray's girlfriend, played by Maura Tierney. Also on hand are Marcia Gay Harden, Fred Savage and Rip Torn as Cole's faithful entourage and Christine Baranski as his gold-digging ex-wife.

My wife and I found this to be a surprisingly good comedy/drama that spoofs presidential politics and small town-isms. Gene Hackman was 73 years old during filming and it was his final film to date. Even though the movie flopped at the box office, Hackman went out a winner because he shines in the role of ex-president. While Romano is equally effective as the ordinary guy, Gene takes the lead in a commanding performance. The movie is consistently amusing and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. The story keeps your interest and you'll find yourself caring for the characters and the outcome of the various subplots. The negative reviews are inexplicable because everything clicks here for a top-rate dramedy with a stellar cast.

My lone criticism is that they coulda done more with the women. Aside from Tierney, cuties Jessica Holmes and Reagan Pasternak are featured, but they needed more screen time.

The film runs 110 minutes and was shot in Ontario, Canada, typically towns within an hour drive of Toronto, like Port Perry.

GRADE: A-