User Reviews

It was a flat, generic type comedy, and frankly Ray Ramono isn't up to par as a movie star, small and big screen presence just isn't the same, however Gene Hackman could play this same role a million times, its a natural fit for him.

But that aside, if you take this for what it was meant to be and don't over analyze a slight romantic comedy, its was fine enough.

People's expectations are way over the top at times, stop comparing this to your top ten movies of all time, its was generally entertaining with some nice moments.

Its worth a re-watch.

This film, was by no means, good. but it wasn't that bad to be honest.

There were many comical elements, and a lot of them were intentional.

Ray Romano was very good, and his character was quite likable, but at the same time a complete jax.

There wasn't really anything that stood out in this film, as "poor". The acting was reasonably good, the cinematography was OK, the storyline was a bit far fetched, and very predictable. But apart from that, and a few cheesy moments, this wasn't too bad.

I was expecting to enjoy this film, because of it's lesser qualities, however, i found a lot more.

Give it a try, it's not as bad as it looks.

President Gene Hackman after two terms in office has now retired to his summer home in Mooseport, Maine. He's planning to do what most former US presidents do, write memoirs, give lectures for exorbitant fees, and say wise things that elder statesmen do. But the city fathers of Mooseport have an intriguing idea, they want to make him their new mayor because the old one has just died.

Hackman also has an additional problem, the first lady is divorcing him and she's taking him to the cleaners in a settlement. Becoming mayor could be a way of saving the Mooseport summer house by claiming it's now his primary residence. But his womanizing ways could prove a stumbling block to Hackman because plumber Ray Romano does not like the way Hackman is hitting on his girlfriend. He also files and the race is on.

If Welcome To Mooseport turns out to be the last film of Gene Hackman, I would think he'd have rather gone out on something a lot better. Not that it's a bad film, it does have some funny moments, but it's nothing special. Another film about former presidents, My Fellow Americans, is a lot better.

Romano proves that everyone still loves Raymond as he essentially takes his TV character from his hit show and transfers it from North Queens to the northern piny woods of Maine. This is Hackman's third portrayal of a US president and it's not as good as the far more serious Absolute Power.

Their are three substantial women's roles, Marcia Gay Harden as the presidential chief of staff who really does love the first man despite his errant ways. The second is Maura Tierney who is a veterinarian who is going out with Romano and who Hackman takes a liking to. Finally and best of all, in fact best in the film is Christine Baranski as the First Lady from hell. Imagine Hillary if she wanted to make Bill's life hell after the White House and you've got Baranski.

When the Mooseport election gets serious Hackman hires major political consultant Rip Torn who is best among the male players. I cannot forget Fred Savage, the young man from The Wonder Years now all grown up and playing your typical boot-licking aide.

A lot of the gags don't quite rise to the occasion, was it really necessary to have a moose named Bruce to get a chuckle? And I think someone like Frank Capra directing this might have given Welcome To Mooseport the populist touch it needed to really make it a classic.

It's not a bad film, but I do hope Gene Hackman gives us a better valedictory for his career.

This movie is not as bad as it is cracked out to be. I actually went into the movie with a negative bias by reading all the comments and hearing all the trashing reviews. This movie was not too bad at all. I found it very watchable.

Okay ask yourself whether you like the show Everybody Loves Raymond. Because that it is how most of the humor is in the movie, minus the laugh track. The show is a big hit sensation, and the two characters Ray Romano play, in personality and such, are very similiar.

The story is pretty outrageous, but in a good way. The movie had the nice friendly small town feel to it. Kind of like Groundhog Day did, minus the having the same day happen over and over again thing, and that entire storyline.

It is a pretty friendly movie, and pretty funny as well. Had my laughing on a few occasions. Worth the watch. Don't be intimidated by the reviews. It is a good movie.

Ray Romano makes the bold first step into feature films and judging by this films gross and other reviews it looks like his foot got burned.

This film is an enjoyable enough piece with a few good laughs and a decent story. Romano and Hackman work well together and Fred Savage is good as the Presidents aide.

It just lacks that killer punch that Romanos sitcom has and the jokes don't run as fluently as they could. Romanos character is so similar to his sitcom character that we are left waiting for his co-stars on the show to appear. Sadly they do not

Romano is a charming and funny guy and his charm carries the film and it is only when he is not on screen the film that the film really starts to flag. With the right script Romano could still have a film career but I think if he's waiting for the script for "Welcome Back to Mooseport" to come through his letterbox he could be waiting a long time.

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.

I like Ray Romano.His stand up comedy act is a delight,and his TV series is hilarious.Gene Hackman should,of course,be on the Mount Rushmore of movie actors.So,I don't believe it's their fault that this movie is so bad.This is an unimaginably dull story.It is quite possibly the most boring film I have ever seen.I mean,there is nothing short of Gene Hackman,who shines even in the worst of films,that compels you to keep watching.I feel sorry for Romano.The transition from television to the big screen can't be easy.Some,such as Tim Allen,make the transition rather smoothly.This was not the case for Romano,I am afraid.It was as if during the transition,he tripped and fell,through no fault of his own.He deserved a better start than this.A disappointing film indeed. Romano and Hackman fans alike,be warned.

Welcome to Mooseport ***

After watching Welcome to Mooseport, I was thoroughly amused. I was surprised by the demeaning criticisms that I found throughout the message boards. I realize that this film is not a film of "excellent quality" or great artistic merit, but I don't think that it was meant to be of great quality. However despite what it lacks, it made me laugh out loud as comedies are meant to do. I laughed on many events as the Mayoral race progressed. I thought that the minor characters added an element of almost unintentional witty humor to the movie's overall sense of humor. I cracked up watching the president's (Gene Hackman) "people" who consisted of amusing body guards and political cronies as well as The Mooseport citizens who just made me smile as I watched them be humorous in their own unique way.

I found this film quite amusing and suggest to anyone who can enjoy a simple light laugh. A great movie for the kids (probably kids over 8 or 9).

I give it ***

I was desperate to walk out of this movie early. It took every ounce of willpower to stay to the end, and stay awake. Outside the theater, a patch of drying paint drew a crowd who were thrilled and excited by the action and lively pacing of the paint after sitting through this too-long, too-slow, unfunny waste of film and time. First, Ray Romano was like a lead weight around the neck of this movie. His presence on-screen sucked the energy and humor (what little there was) out of his co-stars. If you didn't think things could get any more inane than his dreadful television show, you were wrong. Not that he had much to work with. The script had all the complexity of a sitcom episode, with none of the laughs. As each scene unfolded, I could imagine director Donald Petrie shouting, "No, it's not bland enough! Think Wonderbread, but with less flavor. Blander! Blander!" Mr. Petrie, please, for the love of all that is good in this world, never make another movie again.

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.

In a Presidential election year such as this one, one would expect that Hollywood would release to the masses a serious political film or two dealing with candidates, elections and the political process in general. One might count Fahrenheit 9/11 as being such a film but it's more of a skewering of George Dubya than a commentary on the political process in general. What we did get is this Big Gulp comedy dealing with a president and a political campaign. Why Big Gulp? Because you have to take a big huge swallow before watching a film such as Welcome To Mooseport, just to buy into the premise. If you do somehow manage to swallow hard and dive in head first, than there is a chance you might find a few moments of enjoyment. Then again, there's just about an equally a good chance you won't relish any of it.

Here's the premise that you have to buy into: President Monroe Cole (Gene Hackman) has just finished his 2nd term as the most popular president to ever be in office. (1st swallow) Cole retained that popularity despite the fact that he was divorced by his wife Charlotte (Christine Baranski) while in office. (2nd swallow) Because the former First Lady obtained their main home in the divorce settlement, the President is left to retire in their other estate which is situated in the town of Mooseport, Maine. (3rd swallow) Because the former mayor of Mooseport has recently passed onto a better life and probably a better film, the town leaders ask Cole to run for Mayor of Mooseport. (4th swallow) After figuring out that by being Mayor, he will somehow keep his home out of the hands of his greedy ex-wife, Cole agrees to run supposedly as an unopposed candidate (5th swallow) As it turns out, Cole is not running unopposed because local resident and all around good guy Handy Harrison (Ray Romano) has put his name on the ballot. Cole decides to pay a visit to Handy to talk him into resigning from the race, which Cole agrees to do out of respect for the President and because he feels he wouldn't stand a chance running against him. Unfortunately, right after Handy has agreed to step away, Cole puts the make on Handy's steady girlfriend Sally Mannis (Maura Tierney) and asks her out on a date. (6th swallow) Since Handy seems to be unable to make a commitment towards her, Sally agrees to go out with the former President. Out of anger and jealousy, Handy changes his mind and decides to stay in the race and run against Cole after all. (7th and final swallow).

When it comes to accepting far fetched wacko movie ideas, I can accept just about anything if the film is entertaining on some level. The problem with Mooseport is that it's just not as much fun as it could have been or should have been. I didn't have much of a problem accepting the underhandedness and dubious scruples of Cole as that was to be expected. Handy however is a different sort of guy. He's your all around good guy who wouldn't think of doing anything dishonest even it would enable him to win an election against a former president who is trying to steal his gal. He should be a sympathetic kind of guy but he is not. Handy is quite a dumb cluck. His ignorance regarding Sally and her desire for him to commit to a relationship just makes him a bore. His lame idiotic attempts to get her back just make Handy look as stupid as if he were one of the original Three Stooges. The guy simply hasn't a clue. At one point, afraid that Cole might do the naked tango with Sally, Cole gives her a pair of panties with a no access sign on the front. He sees it as a joke, we see it as just more ignorance on his part. I've seen Romano in Everybody Loves Raymond several times, though I don't make it a high priority to watch the show. Here he brings the same shtick to the big screen and doing it for almost two hours just doesn't work. He's seldom funny, and never sympathetic no matter what Cole does to him.

Hackman as Monroe Cole is somewhat better. We don't like him either but we're not supposed to. However, as he goes from one extreme to another in order to insure victory, it ends up becoming more of a lesson in monotony than anything remotely funny. Being mean, pompous and arrogant can be funny for a short while, but the longer it goes on and the more extreme it becomes the situation begins to lose any humor that might have been there earlier.

If you're looking for any silver linings in this dark cloud I can give you three of them. Maura Tierney is sweet, intelligent and lovable as Sally, which does make you wonder why she was ever with Handy the Shmuck in the first place. Rip Torn is on hand as Cole's campaign manager, and Torn is fun to watch no matter what character he plays or where he plays it. He has some of the funnier lines in the film. Last and certainly not lease is Marcia Gay Harden as Presidential assistant Grace Sutherland who worships Cole, sees his faults but loves him anyway. Harden and Tierney have the best scene in the film as they get together for a drunken game of miniature golf. It's one of the few moments in the film which is truly worth watching so cherish it.

I suppose one could almost view the film as a satirical look at the presidency and politics, but to do that one would have to think that this film is smart, intelligent and funny. Though there are a few minor chuckles here and there, there is nothing remotely intelligent about anything that happens in Welcome to Mooseport. It's mostly just dumb. And if that's all it is I have no choice but to give it my grade of a C-. Now go watch Fahrenheit 9/11 or Primary Colors.

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-

It's hard to know where to begin in pointing out the flaws of this movie. I wanted to leave at the first inane scene (I only stayed because my husband refuses to leave movies, period). Ray Romano plays a well-meaning inarticulate boob, the same character he plays on TV. Maura Tierney plays the same long-suffering angry girlfriend that she plays on ER. Gene Hackman and Marcia Gay Harden are good actors, but I came away thinking they must have been desperate for money to make this idiotic film. Their talent appeared like brief glints of sunshine on an ocean of mediocrity.

This movie was less funny and cornier than the worst TV sitcom (pick one)--and that says a lot. A brief list of flaws: tired, dated, sexist jokes, poor timing, dull dialogue, no chemistry between Romano and Tierney, inordinately long scenes about GOLF, sappy music, bad lighting, predictable story line, and on and on.

I never write movie reviews, but I had to write this one, just to warn other viewers. What a waste of two hours--I feel like my brain cells have been drained.

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.

Welcome to Mooseport is a very bland comedy and its a waste of time. The small town of Mooseport, Maine has become the retirement town for President Monroe "Eagle" Cole (Gene Hackman). After losing his bid for reelection, his political career is resurrected when the community asks him to run for mayor of the town. His arrival in the town and attention to a local veterinarian (Maura Tierney) kicks off a feud with her boyfriend, a local hardware store owner (Ray Romano) who decides to take on the former President in the election. Can the local boy beat the odds to take on the favorite both in the election and win back the woman he loves? The plot is nothing new and you can probably figure out what happens easily. The best thing the film has going for it is its cast. Gene Hackman is a very talented actor but he can't save this film. Marcia Gay Harden performance was okay but, I still don't see why everyone calls her a great actress, she's good but not great. Ray Romano made about three funny jokes throughout the film and his character is very annoying. Maura Tierney did an okay job but there was no chemistry at all between her and Ray and I never understood why her character would like him. The film is 110 minutes long and its rare for comedies to be long and still manage to be enjoyable as this film proves that. Most of the scenes were boring and by the end of the movie I didn't care who won the election. There was no character development and the actors didn't seem to be enjoying themselves either. Donald Petrie directs and moves the film at such a slow pace but he has directed some enjoyable movies before. The script needed some work like try adding something new or enjoyable. I did like some of the scenes like the golf one but in the end this film was a wasted opportunity. Rating 3/10 fans of Ray's show will probably like it but everyone else should avoid it.

Welcome to Mooseport was originally supposed to open this weekend alongside Adam Sandler's new blockbuster so/so smash 50 First Dates but was pushed back until the upcoming week because it didn't want to go up against the Sandler flick. It did however have a sneak preview today, Sunday February 15th, so I decided to get an early sneak peek at the film. I been looking forward to seeing Welcome to Mooseport since I first seen the poster for the film. The poster itself seemed rather amusing and then when I had seen the trailer for the film and wanted to watch the film even more. I usually enjoy Gene Hackman on the big screen. He is definitely a great actor. I don't know much about Ray Romano except he has a show called Everybody loves Raymond which I never seen because I don't watch much television. I do remember I wanted to see him live in Las Vegas a few years back but he was sold out. Well anyway, tonight as I mentioned above I went to the local Cineplex to see the 7:00pm sneak preview showing of Welcome to Mooseport.

Welcome to Mooseport is about a little town where everyone knows everyone. Life there seems very peaceful. The story focuses on a man named Handy Harrison (Ray Romano) who owns the town hardware store and is also the local Plummer/ fix it man. One day Ex-US President Monroe Cole (Gene Hackman) decides that he is going to return to his summer home in Mooseport where he plans to live now that he is out of office. The town is very excited about his arrival. Once he arrives he is asked to run for mayor of Mooseport. This is where the fun starts when both Handy Harrison & President Monroe run for mayor of Mooseport. Lots of clever dialog, great acting, and a unique story ensue.

The acting in the film was top notch. This is Ray Romano's first feature film and I think his performance was very noteworthy. I liked his character. Handy was nice guy who was very sweet and innocent. Gene Hackman's performance was another great role for his resume. I liked how his character had many sides to him. Marcia Gay Harden, Maura Tierney, Christine Baranski, Fred Savage, and Rip Torn were all part of the main supporting cast and I felt they all played their characters well.

Tom Schulman & Doug Richardson wrote the film. I must say it was a huge jump from their earlier films. Tom Schulman wrote great movies like Dead Poets Society with Robin Williams, What About Bob with Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray and then wrote the un-watch able Holy Man with Eddie Murphy. Doug Richardson wrote Bad Boys, Die Hard 2, and Money Train. I think what is amazing about the script is the fact that a. both the writers never wrote a film anything like it before and b. it's a very original film. I know I haven't seen every movie but I never seen a movie like this. The story was unique, the characters were likeable, and the dialog was rather clever. I applaud these two screenwriters for their effort on the script. Sadly I doubt the movie will do well. The sneak preview tonight was only half full and the story is rather odd and original so I don't know if it will really trigger much interest from the typical moviegoers.

Donald Petrie was the director of Welcome to Mooseport. I have seen a lot of his movies in the past. He has had his ups and down's with directing, for example I enjoyed How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days with Kate Hudson but I did not like Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock. I liked how in the film, Donald Petrie really captured living in a small town, showing everyone in the opening scene of the film saying hi to the entire town. It really lets you know how life is for these people of the town. The director also did a good job of directing the actors and making them connect. I really felt for the characters in this film. I liked that they had this great connection with each other on screen.

So to summarize, I overall really enjoyed Welcome to Mooseport. The cast is great, as is its story. I feel the film won't attract much attention since the Crapfest film of the month Eurotrip, will be opening next week and the fact that Welcome to Mooseport itself isn't aimed at the average moviegoer crowd. I recommend this film though to anyone who wants to see a comedy that is smart, original and witty. It delivers great performances and some good laughs. I really enjoyed the film and will probably go see it again if I can. I know for sure it is definitely one for the DVD collection when it arrives on DVD. My final rating for Welcome to Mooseport is an 8/10

This movie doesn't just have echoes of the "Northern Exposure" TV series - it could have been a feature-length episode. Take a small Alaskan town full of kooky characters and transplant it - wandering moose and all - to Maine. Take a feisty female pilot (Janine Turner) and make her a feisty animal doctor who can fly helicopters. Your male lead, a slightly-ditzy doctor character (Rob Morrow) becomes a slightly-ditzy hardware store owner. For good measure, while you're in the largest state in the union, borrow from "Mystery, Alaska" the idea of the whole world coming to such a tiny town and overrunning it with a media frenzy. Only here you have the ex-President of the U.S. showing up instead of a pro hockey team.

Presumably, this was a vehicle for Ray Romano rather than for Hackman, who doesn't need it and almost sleepwalks through his role as the President. Hackman improves the tone of any movie just by being in it. Ray, meanwhile, well...he's Ray Romano. You keep expecting Brad Garrett to show up, or for Ray to slip over to his parents' house and discuss his campaign strategy.

Instead you get a very bland almost-two-hours where much is promised and little is delivered. Rip Torn plays a devious campaign manager for Hackman's character, but he never gets to do much deviousness. The plot kinda meanders along, much as life in a small town, but the comic potential of Hackman's big fish character adapting to such a setting, and in the rivalry between him and Romano in the mayoral race, is woefully underplayed and never exploited to the full. The other characters can do little to flesh out the story, so you're left with a very average and disappointing product. That isn't to say you couldn't do a lot worse, but this movie should not feature too high on any "must-see" lists.

Before I watched the movie, I was not sure I wanted to watch a match-up between titan actor Gene Hackman and receeding standup comedian Ray Romano. I was wrong. Romano's un-pretentiosness was perfect for this part. It was Hackman who was unable to sedate himself enough to interface comfortably with small-town life. I'm sure that some of this incongruity is the result of the script and direction written for him, but the bluster was carried a bit far in the movie. This is not a bad movie. It is a rather good one. It turned out the opposite of what I expected, as I've already said. I appreciate the message imparted by Welcome to Mooseport: Honesty, consistency, humility and hard work are traits that are truly valued and valuable.., especially if your girlfriend is tougher than you.

This isn't the funniest movie ever made, but it has some charm to it. It's a light, romantic comedy with some great performances in it, plus a moose. The writing is a little flat at times, but the actors make the best of the material. Gene Hackman has a great talent for making weak lines seem stronger than they really are. Ray Romano is better when he's let loose from scripted lines, Maura Tierney plays the smartest (and most realistic) character in the movie. Locals Jessica Holmes and Paul Bates appear as Tierney's and Romano's sidekicks, respectively, but Bates gets more lines and opportunity to shine.

The critics seem to be having a field day taking Ray Ramano down- but I thought he was quite funny- and if you have seen any Preston Sturges or Frank Capa lately ( and I have) the movie is not that far off the mark---I hope peple go

Congratulations to the makers of "The Perfect Score"! Your movie is no longer the worst of 2004 so far.

"Welcome To Mooseport" is the laziest, limpest, weakest, lamest, most lifeless and utterly useless excuse for a motion picture I've seen in many months.

There is literally not one second that is remotely entertaining, let alone inspired or interesting. Even the worst movies ("Bad Boys II" for instance, one of the worst I've ever seen) usually have SOMETHING that slightly grabs your interest, if only for 2 seconds. "Welcome To Mooseport" though, is flatline from first frame to last. It's like they didn't even try.

The premise is clever: it's basically about a former U.S. President (Gene Hackman) moving to the small town of Mooseport (which is of course packed with stereotypically "quirky" and "colorful" townspeople) and running for mayor against a popular local schmoe (Ray Romano). This would be a fine starting point for a good political satire, but instead it turns out to be probably the single dumbest movie about politics I've ever seen. If a 10 year-old wrote a screenplay about politics it would be more realistic. I know it's a comedy, and that it's not supposed to be serious, but it has no reason to be so glaringly stupid and predictable either. As a "political comedy" it should at least seem like the writers have watched "The Daily Show" once.

The President character is an obvious combination of Bill Clinton (popular, charming, cocky) and George W. Bush (obnoxious and shallow). Romano's character is of course the goofy Everyman, the likable slob, and to further demonstrate the third-grade level of writing here, we know we're supposed to root for him because his clothes don't match and he has a funny name (Handy Harrison, sigh).

In addition to Hackman and Romano, other good actors like Rip Torn, Marcia Gay Harden, Christine Baranski, Maura Tierney, and Edward Herrmann show up to embarrass themselves and waste our time as well as their own. The plot grinds along to the predictable conclusion as I take my mind elsewhere, check my watch every 10 minutes and fight to stay awake.

At least "Welcome To Mooseport" is friendly. It's not as ugly or offensive as "Bad Boys II" (which is the last movie I gave zero stars). However, a movie that is this uninspired, this much of a failure on every level, is offensive in its own way, no matter how genial it may be.

Donald Petrie's political comedy is spot-on for me, i mean its not an amazing social commentary or anything, but it provides some good laughs, good performances, decent story and plot. I liked Schulman's wit some of the dialogues were pretty funny and Petrie's direction suited the comedic manner in which this film was intended for. Hackman was very good while Romano was not bad either much better here than Grilled, meanwhile Marcia Gay Harden, Fred Savage and Rip Torn were also pretty good. Overall a decent comedy, solid film, no complaints here, should have a higher overall IMDb rating in my opinion.-- IMDb rating: 5.3, my rating: 8/10

I found this movie to be an hour and a half well spent mainly because of the cast. Gene Hackman is a legend, Ray Romano has a harmless, goofy personality and I've always liked Maura Tierney. They are perfect in their portrayal of people in a small town where local politics brings out their best & worst personality traits.

The movie itself is fairly innocuous and had me thinking of 'Groundhog Day' the way Mooseport's citizens were portrayed. This point is not a detraction, on the contrary, I have been disappointed more in recent times at the cinema by movies with a much bigger reputation.

This is a film that would be good for guys who need to make up with their partners for a previous misdemeanor, with a night in front of the box.

and they butchered an xtc song at the end.

well, i didn't really like that song all that much anyhow, but my god! what absolute trash this movie was. just garbage. not funny, totally predictable, and BORING.

please note i had to watch it for work. normally i would never even look at tripe like this. how many times are studios going to force swill on us because some suit thought it would make money? please, god, MAKE THEM STOP.

gene hackman--bad. ray romano--disgusting. in what universe would he ever get the girl? vile beyond reason. marcia gay harden--bad. everyone else--thankfully forgettable.