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:

You don't need to be big to be a hero.

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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

Actor William Hickey was seriously ill during the film's production and died towards the end of principal photography. Fortunately all his scenes had already been filmed so it was not necessary to recast his part or make any major changes to the script to accommodate his death.

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Goofs

When Ernie is shot through the chimney into the nearby lake, ear plugs are visible once he sinks down on the bath tub.

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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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Alternate Versions

DVD version contains six deleted scenes:

• Lars Smuntz explores his late fathers office in his very own style;
• Caesar presents his 'weapons' and tools;
• Caesar goes Mouse hunting with a heat seeker;
• Caesar is doing his new job in the Quality Control department of Smuntz String Cheese factory;
• A collection of various small scenes from the auction, showing Falco getting back his cheque from Ernie after the flood and ripping it in pieces;
• The ensemble of Smuntz String Cheese factory gathers for a photo shooting.

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Connections

Spoofs Cape Fear (1991)

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Soundtracks

The Gold Digger's Song (We're in the Money)
Written by Al Dubin and Harry Warren

User Reviews

Many hidden gems in this film........

Nathan Lane just makes me laugh........this film is sophomoric and silly but it's so inept that it's hilarious, however improbable it might be. Christopher Walken is superb in his small role, and the mouse is magical ( notice he takes a dump in Walken's mouth at the end of his sequence ) , down to his sense of nostalgia ( pictures of Hawaii on his wall , and old mementos ) Don't dismiss this first time round, you'll need to view a few times to catch the clever inserts ( like when Nathan Lane says " akuna matata " to an Arab at the auction ) Also note the beautifully whimsical moments of labor within the garishly dated string factory.......a lot went into this and although it is ridiculous there are many things to love about this film.............James