Mousehunt (1997)

Two stumblebum inheritors are determined to rid their antique house of a mouse who is equally determined to stay where he is.

Director:

Gore Verbinski

Writer:

Adam Rifkin

Stars:

Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Vicki Lewis

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nathan Lane	...	Ernie Smuntz
Lee Evans	...	Lars Smuntz
Vicki Lewis	...	April Smuntz
Maury Chaykin	...	Alexander Falko
Eric Christmas	...	Ernie and Lars' Lawyer
Michael Jeter	...	Quincy Thorpe
Debra Christofferson	...	Ingrid
Camilla Søeberg	...	Hilde, the Bench Lady (as Camilla Soeberg)
Ian Abercrombie	...	Auctioneer
Annabelle Gurwitch	...	Roxanne Atkins
Eric Poppick	...	The Banker
Ernie Sabella	...	Maury, the Cat Care Society Owner
William Hickey	...	Rudolph Smuntz
Christopher Walken	...	Caeser, the Exterminator
Cliff Emmich	...	Mayor McKrinle

Storyline

A family film about a mouse that lives in an old house where the geriatric owner dies, and Ernie and Lars Smuntz have plans for, but they have trouble getting rid of the mouse. It's like Home Alone with a mouse.

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Plot Keywords:

mouse | factory | restaurant | string factory | auction | 

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Taglines:

TheMouse Never Dies

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language, comic sensuality and mayhem

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mouse Trap

Filming Locations:

Bass Lake, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,062,922, 21 December 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$61,917,389

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$122,417,389

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A rare commercial spot for the film not included in the either the VHS or DVD features a dramatic voice-over introduction "A story about a mouse..." which slowly pans to the shadow outline of the famous Disney character. Then the camera quickly cuts to show that it's actually the little guy from Mousehunt holding a pair of toothpick speared olives which he had been holding close to his head.

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Goofs

When the water breaks through the wall, near the end of the movie, you can see that the wall is made out of Sheetrock and not plaster keyed to lathe which would be appropriate to the house's age.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lars: [at their father's funeral, they carry his coffin down the steps of a cathedral] Hold your end up higher, you're not holding it.
Ernie: I am too.
Lars: You are not.
Ernie: Don't worry about me. Hey, isn't that suit charcoal?
Lars: No.
Ernie: Looks charcoal gray to me, some gray polyester blend. Couldn't even find a black suit for your own father's funeral.
Lars: It's black.
Ernie: No, I'm sure it's gray.
Lars: It's black.
[...]

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Connections

References Sullivan's Travels (1941)

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Soundtracks

I'll Be Home For Christmas
Written by Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, and Buck Ram
Arranged by Bruce L. Fowler
Performed by the Los Angeles Children's Chorus Ensemble
Daryl Getman, Gavin Hale, Julia Long, Adrienne Pardee, Mark Perry, Amy Sargious, Jonathan Saul, Chai-Fu Wang, and Julia Wells
Anne Tomlinson, Artistic Director

User Reviews

Hilarious!

This is one of those movies that catches you off-guard. As campy and seemingly silly as it is...it's still all around fun. From the first opening minutes you'll see some of the humor is a bit on the dark-side, which is what holds it's appeal. The brothers both seem dim witted, yet lovable. You see their just as fumbling and off as many of us have felt attimes, which helps us relate to the characters. The way the CGI andmouse was done gives a real sense of interaction, and a surprise cameo by a notable Hollywood HEavyweight is a nice surprise. Yet in the end, without giving too much away, it's about tolerance and someone trying to find a balance to everything and their surroundings. This falls along the ways of Babys Day Out. So if you enjoy prop driven humor and gag setups or just need a break from the stamped out Hollywood flicks, this is a MUST see and you'll find yourself laughing uncontrollably. :)