Unfunny.
Welcome to Mooseport (2004)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:143
Fresh:19
Rotten:124
Average Rating:4.2/10
Consensus: A bland comedy that squanders a talented cast.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some brief sexual comments and nudity
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Feb 20, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $14,244,145
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
Get This Movie
Reviews for Welcome to Mooseport
Mild as milk and, at times, slower than August traffic heading to L.L. Bean. Good cast, though.
Petrie deadens any possible momentum or energy; he can't even make one of our greatest actors, Gene Hackman, appear presidential.
A faulted comedy with a great pace that aims for cute and occasionally succeeds.
Short on laughs despite being an easy concept for witty writers, the film flaunts an over-extended running time and lame dialogue.
Nothing much happens in Welcome to Mooseport, but for a little less than two hours you can take a vacation with some very companionable people in a truly nice place.
A smart but safe parable about how power can corrupt even the best of men, and how complacency is not a virtue.
Clunkily earthbound as its characters and the situations plod forward while never getting anywhere.
Perhaps the blandest movie ever, directed so squarely down the middle of the road that helmer Donald Petrie might as well be painting yellow lines.
There's not a whole lot to like about Welcome to Mooseport, and, considering how lively real politics can be these days, you're likely to get more entertainment from watching two hours of CSPAN.
Once you get past the screenplay's fresh paint, these two guys are the same stale, odious, infantile jerks (as in) every other ill-conceived comedy from the last 20 years.
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.
Mooseport is one of those dreaded middle-of-the-road comedies. It's a friendly, nicety-nice, mock-funny, play-it-safe and use-all-the-cliche's-we-got style deal. Yech.
The comedy quotient, waning from the start, becomes nonexistent whenever it's placed in Romano's clumsy mitts.
This comedy about politics in a small community must have looked good on paper, with Gene Hackman and Ray Romano on board, but it just fizzles.
The movie is a wet noodle, too timid and ingratiating to muster much interest--sort of like its star.
Latest News for Welcome to Mooseport
July 13, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
If you remember the goofy ol' teaser for "Ice Age," then you'll probably get a kick out of the all-new trailer for "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown." Yes, it's more... More...
May 19, 2005:
Universal Gets Into a "Worst Case" Scenario
Veteran screenwriters Tom Schulman and Rafael Yglesias have sold their first collaborative effort, "Worst Case," to Universal Pictures following a rather heated... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Welcome to Mooseport at Rotten Tomatoes
- Welcome to Mooseport at IGN
- Welcome to Mooseport at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Techland lists the best Sci-Fi films of this decade.

Moviefone takes a look back at the biggest stinkers of the past 10 years.

The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill offers his thoughts on what the best decade for film was.

In the AV Club's "Scenic Routes," Mike D'Angelo reminisces about the Tim Burton film.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


