Welcome to Mooseport (2004)

Director:

Donald Petrie

Writers (WGA):

Doug Richardson (story)
Tom Schulman (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 February 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

This town isn't small enough for the both of them.

Plot:

A US president (Gene Hackman) who has retired after two terms in office returns to his hometown of Mooseport, Maine and decides to run for Mayor against another local candidate (Ray Romano).

Plot Keywords:

Mayor | Maine | U.S. President | Hardware Store | Election

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Gene Hackman	...	Monroe Cole
Ray Romano	...	Handy Harrison
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Grace Sutherland
Maura Tierney	...	Sally Mannis
Christine Baranski	...	Charlotte Cole
Fred Savage	...	Bullard
Rip Torn	...	Bert Langdon
June Squibb	...	Irma
Wayne Robson	...	Morris Gutman
John Rothman	...	Stu
Karl Pruner	...	Dyer
David Macniven	...	Cloud
Jackie Richardson	...	Martha
Paul Bates	...	Bob
Reagan Pasternak	...	Mandy

Also Known As:

Mooseport (USA) (working title)
Willkommen in Mooseport (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some brief sexual comments and nudity.

Runtime:

110 min | Argentina:117 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7 | Germany:o.Al. | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40427) | Argentina:13 | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Brantford, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Mooseport is actually Port Perry, Ontario.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the President votes, he marks his ballot with a check mark. In US elections, a ballot must be marked with an "X" to be valid.

Quotes:

Handy Harrison: [Sound of flushing of a toilet at Monroe Cole's house; Handy Harrison emerges out of the bathroom in front of astounded ex-president] I'm all done in here.
Handy Harrison: [Realizing that was double-entendre] I mean, I'm done fixing it.
Handy Harrison: That flashing you heard - that's work-related, not personal.

Movie Connections:

References "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Small Town

Well, I thought it was funny

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 ***