Welcome to Mooseport *** (2004, Gene Hackman, Ray Romano, Marcia Gay Harden, Maura Tierney, Christine Baranski, Fred Savage, Rip Torn, June Squibb) – Classic Movie Review 4,965

Donald Petrie’s amusing 2004 American political satire comedy film Welcome to Mooseport stars Gene Hackman in his final acting role, along with Ray Romano.

Director Donald Petrie’s amusing 2004 American political satire comedy film Welcome to Mooseport stars Gene Hackman in his final acting role, along with Ray Romano.

Hackman plays retired US president Monroe ‘Eagle’ Cole, who returns to his home town of Mooseport, Maine, where he runs for mayor against a local candidate –hardware store owner ‘Handy’ Harrison (Ray Romano). These are good roles for Hackman and Romano and they play them very well.

The writers are Doug Richardson (story) and Tom Schulman (screenplay).

Also in the fine cast are Marcia Gay Harden, Maura Tierney, Christine Baranski, Fred Savage, Rip Torn, Wayne Robson, John Rothman, Edward Herrmann and June Squibb.

It was shot in Jackson’s Point and Port Perry in Ontario.

Release date: February 20, 2004 (US).

Running time: 110 minutes.

Perhaps inevitably, it didn’t do too well at the box office. On a budget of $30 million, the worldwide total was only $14,615,099.  Of that $14,470,947 was from the US. So it took $144,152 elsewhere, and can have hardly been released.

Soon after, on July 7, 2004, Gene Hackman announced that he had no future film projects lined up and believed that his acting career was over. In 2009, he recalled: ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.’

Gene Hackman in the US Marine Corps.

The cast

The cast are Gene Hackman as Monroe ‘Eagle’ Cole, Ray Romano as Harold ‘Handy’ Harrison, Marcia Gay Harden as Grace Sutherland, Maura Tierney as Dr Sally Mannis, Fred Savage as Will Bullard, Rip Torn as Bert Langdon, Christine Baranski as Charlotte Cole, Wayne Robson as Morris Gutman, Reagan Pasternak as Mandy Gutman, June Squibb as Irma, John Rothman as Stu, Jayne Eastwood as Lucy Decker, Juan ‘Chi-Chi’ Rodriguez as himself, Richard Romano as Handy’s bar buddy, Jon Manfrellotti as Reporter, and Edward Herrmann as Avery Hightower.

Welcome to Mooseport is directed by Donald Petrie, runs 110 minutes, is made by Intermedia Films, is distributed by 20th Century Fox, is written by Tom Schulman, from a story by Doug Richardson, is shot by Victor Hammer, is produced by Tom Schulman, Marc Frydman and Basil Iwanyk, and is scored by John Debney.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 4,965

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