AN UNSUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN FOR LAUGHS IN 'MOOSEPORT'.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic A POLITICAL comedy in which there are no winners - or laughs - ``Welcome to Mooseport'' will disappoint anybody who comes to the theater expecting a first-rate farce based on the pairing of Gene Hackman and Ray Romano Raymond Romano (born December 21, 1957 in Queens, New York) is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated, American actor and comedian best known for his starring role on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. . The movie's leads are completely stranded by the humorless material and a glacial pacing that's about as exciting as an all-night filibuster filibuster, term used to designate obstructionist tactics in legislative assemblies. It has particular reference to the U.S. Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is very strong. It was not until 1917 that the Senate provided for cloture (i.e. orated by Orrin Hatch. By all rights, ``Mooseport'' should be a good movie. The premise sounds OK. The former president of the United States The head of the Executive Branch, one of the three branches of the federal government. The U.S. Constitution sets relatively strict requirements about who may serve as president and for how long. , a charismatic rogue named Monroe ``Eagle'' Cole, retires to his vacation home Vacation Home A home separate from an individual's primary residence that is used for recreational purposes and may also be rented out at unused times. Notes: For tax purposes, those who rent their vacation homes may result in a lower amount of allowable expense in small-town Mooseport, Maine, and, a couple of twists and turns later, finds himself running for mayor against a local handyman, Handy Harrison (Romano). So you've got Hackman, so good at comical bombast, pitted against America's current No. 1 likable shlub shlub n. Slang Variant of schlub. , Romano. But the movie goes wrong in every possible way, with contrived romantic subplots, an excess of shots of cute animals (always a sign of desperation) and overly whimsical music that unfailingly lets you know where the laughs are supposed to be. The latter device does prove helpful because ``Mooseport'' just plain isn't funny. The movie is credited to writer Tom Schulman, whose resume includes ``Dead Poets Society'' and ``What About Bob?'' but also sports ``Medicine Man'' and the Eddie Murphy bomb ``Holy Man.'' With this guy, it's a wheel of fortune every time out, and here it has landed on (comically) bankrupt. Of course, director Donald Petrie (``Miss Congeniality,'' ``How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'') deserves much of the blame, too, extending as he does every comic set piece past the point of no return. Pro's pros Hackman and Romano gut it out, but when the film delivers one saccharine sac·cha·rine adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of sugar or saccharin; sweet. ending only to set up another - and then another! - you can almost see the flop sweat as they struggle to hold their smiles in place. WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT - One and one half stars (PG-13: brief sexual comments, nudity) Starring: Gene Hackman, Ray Romano, Maura Tierney, Marcia Gay Harden Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. Biography Early life Harden, one of five children, was born in La Jolla, California, daughter of Beverly (née Bushfield), a housewife, and Thaddeus Harold Harden, a Texas . Director: Donald Petrie. Running time: 1 hr. 51 min. Playing: Wide release. In a nutshell: The talents of Gene Hackman and Ray Romano are squandered squan·der tr.v. squan·dered, squan·der·ing, squan·ders 1. To spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate. See Synonyms at waste. 2. in this unfunny comedy about a mayoral race between a handyman and the former president of the United States. Fans of ``Raymond,'' beware. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: With Secret Service in tow, Gene Hackman's ex-president meets the locals - both animal and human - in the small Maine town he's retiring to in ``Mooseport.'' |
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