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
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