Welcome To Mooseport (2004)

14% of critics liked it
(145 reviews)
24% of users liked it
(19,678 ratings)

Hollywood filmmaker Donald Petrie directs the comedy Welcome to Mooseport. Gene Hackman stars as former U.S. President Monroe "The Eagle" Cole. He's retired to the small New England town of Mooseport, ME, in order to write his memoirs and relax. The retirement is put on hold, however, when he's… More Hollywood filmmaker Donald Petrie directs the comedy Welcome to Mooseport. Gene Hackman stars as former U.S. President Monroe "The Eagle" Cole. He's retired to the small New England town of Mooseport, ME, in order to write his memoirs and relax. The retirement is put on hold, however, when he's persuaded to run for mayor of the town. Meanwhile, local hardware store owner and plumber Handy Harrison (Ray Romano) is just the sort of plaid-shirted everyman to run against him. Cole seems a sure win in the race, especially with his loyal personal assistants (Marcia Gay Harden and Fred Savage) aiding his every move. The competition gets even more severe when Handy's sweetheart Sally (Maura Tierney) comes between the two men. Welcome to Mooseport also stars Christine Baranski and Rip Torn. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Donald Petrie
Written By: Tom Schulman
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Feb 20, 2004 Wide
On DVD: May 25, 2004
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Rex Reed, New York Observer
It's a snooze on every level.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Devoid of wit and point.
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Means to satirize the TV-fueled carnivalesque nature of American electoral politics but only demonstrates the TV-fueled debasement of American commercial comedy.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
[Mooseport is] like the pound cake of movies -- nice and safe and sweet, but not really worth recommending.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Pretty skimpy on fun.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Gets old faster than uncovered cheese.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
For Ray Romano fans only.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Comes off less like a feature film than a failed sitcom pilot.
Christopher Smith, Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Welcome--now get out.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Whose story is this? Nobody's. We don't know whom we're meant to root for...
Kam Williams, Princeton Town Topics
This lackluster production fails to generate much in the way of tension and less in the way of merriment.
Kam Williams, Bean Soup Times
This lackluster production fails to generate much in the way of tension and less in the way of merriment.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
There is nothing insulting or downright stupid about its humor. The thing's just so low-key as to be practically invisible.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The movie never takes its material far enough, it's never daring, it's never edgy, it's never satiric. It's just, well, it's just TV.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Charming, little comedy that amuses from start to finish.
Stephen Himes, Film Snobs
Hollywood kids the Democrats because the love the Democrats.
Jeffrey Lyles, Gazette (MD)
a pretty enjoyable film and if you're looking for a distraction from all of the real world politics, at least the laughs in "Mooseport" are intentional.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Daniel P

This movie has a great and seemingly original premise, but I think that was all Gene Hackman found out about it before signing on... Ray Romano is his usual boring self, but Hackman is complemented by unsung TV vets Maura Tierney and a surprisingly good Fred Savage, as well as the… More
This movie has a great and seemingly original premise, but I think that was all Gene Hackman found out about it before signing on... Ray Romano is his usual boring self, but Hackman is complemented by unsung TV vets Maura Tierney and a surprisingly good Fred Savage, as well as the usual Marcia Gay Harden. The script was okay, the plot was fine, but the filming was so formulaic that this one is really a chore to sit all the way through.
Andrew F

It is a pretty good movie. Ray Romano is great, as usual. The concept was neat. A good comedy.