Rating: 
Summary: Ray, you ruined this movie.
Review: Simply put, Mooseport is a bad movie. Far fetched, not funny, slow-paced and boring. A waste of 90 minutes of my life. This is why this movie went straight from the theaters to DVD and HBO. Ray Romano's poor acting (as "Handy" the plumber) in particular ruined the movie. Romano was dull, lifeless and easy to root against. If it was not for Gene Hackman, who as usual, does a great job, I would have quit after the first 30 minutes. If you want to check this out, I would wait until the DVD hits the 5 dollar rack at your local Wal-mart/Target.
Rating:
Summary: Even Gene Hackman Can't Save this Mess
Review: Snorr-r-r-r. Note to Ray Romano: it's called a script. You try to negotiate for some control over it. You don't want to play a weenie and you don't want to play opposite Gene Hackman unless you've got the chops for it.This is a film in which no one will care about what happens to the main characters since both are fundamentally uninteresting and unlikeable. And what a waste of wonderful talent--Marcia Gay Harden, Christine Baranski, Rip Torn. Don't even rent it.
Rating:
Summary: A LIMP OVERDRAWN SITCOM THAT'S JUST NOT FUNNY
Review: The comic firepower of "Welcome to Mooseport" sounds more like a whimper than a bang, thanks in no small measure to an instantly forgettable performance by the eternally nagging Romano. The girl-friend squabble (how novel) between Gene Hackman and Romano's characters is too dragged out and unbelievably phony. A faulty sitcom stretched into nearly two excruciating hours, almost, but that doesn't really matter as every twist and turn can be seen from a mile away. Which is sad because most of the cast has done quite well elsewhere and was just tragically frittered away on this wet noodle.
Rating: 
Summary: Lukewarm comic inspiration; they forgot to include substance
Review: The lukewarm inspiration of this comdey might have made for a three star movie at best if the execution had been flawless. An ex-President comes to a small town in Maine and decides to challenge the mayor for re-election. Whoever wins, somebody ends up either unfairly overwhelmed or made into a doofus. The sporadic comic moments would have to be overwhelmingly successful to make the movie highly memorable. But only occasionally are the comic moments even mildly successful. But what is most wrong with this movie is an all-too-common symptom of movie "heroines" these days. As for this movie's heroine, played by Maura Tierney, the movie completely forgot to make her heroic. Often in today's movies, a heroine may do a lot of complaining about how jerky men are. No matter how much one might agree that men CAN BE jerky, or how much her complaints might contain some legitimate points, such complaining does NOT alone a heroine make, something that movies too often forget these days. A character who displays no virtues in her own right, is only a grouchy complainer by complaining, with or without any validity in her complaints. So the character we're supposed to pull for as a heroine comes out more annoying than likeable. And the movie never makes us pull for her or find any particular delight in an ending that has the ostensible "protagonists", including her, winning. Maura Tierney has shown an ability to play likeable supporting characters, as in the otherwise yawn-fest, INSOMNIA. But she'll have to do more than play "heroines" that are just pouty instead of likeable to show lead actress talents that we should care about.
Rating: 
Summary: The script lets down Ray Romano in his featured film debut
Review: The scene where I expected "Welcome to Mooseport" to finally kick into a higher gear comes during the first debate between former President of the United States Monroe "Eagle" Cole (Gene Hackman) and the local hardware store owner "Handy" Harrison (Ray Romano). Asked to answer questions about mundane civic conerns in this coastal Maine town, Cole is ready to bring the full weight of the civil authority to bear on the issue, as if the U.S. Army's Corps of Engineers is always willing to lend a helping hand. Such detailed proposals sound great to "Handy," until he suddenly stops agreeing and starts asking some simple questions, which in turn allow him to propose some simple solutions that can resolve the situation long before one of the President's blue ribbon commisions gets up and running. At that point I was hoping that the clash between the simple rustic life in Mooseport, Maine and the global sensibilities of the former president would move up to the next level, but doing so would not solve the problems that drive the plot in Donald Petrie's 2004 comedy. The situation is that the mayor of Mooseport has suddenly died and the Town Council approaches Cole, who had a summer home there as president, to run unopposed for the office. He agrees, not knowing that the town clerk has already approached Harrison to do the same thing. Now the former President of the United States is running against his plumber for the office of Mayor in a small town (How small? Polling data is not based on a sampling of the town but everybody). The situation is complicated by the fact that Cole has taken a shine to Sally Mannis (Maura Tierney), who happens to be Harrison's girl friend, or whatever name is applied to a woman you have been dating for seven years without bothering to get around to offering a proposal. Harrison might be willing to step aside and let Cole be Mayor, but allowing his opponent to date Sally (who is wearing black underwear) is too much. At one point it is agreed that "Handy" Harrison IS Mooseport, which would explain why somebody persuaded him to run for Mayor. But the film rarely acknowledges this truth. It is too busy focusing on his unwillingness to take chances, a trait that apparently extends from this personal life to his approach to politics as well. We get a glimpse of that during that first debate, but if he really acted like a great guy and everyone in town remembered he was a great guy, the movie would be over. Cole's character is also problematic. He is supposedly the most popular president in history, with ratings over 80%, despite the fact that his wife, Charlotte (Christine Baranski) divorced him during his second term. I mean, come on; Hillary Clinton was an extreme unpopular First Lady, but if she had divorced her husband would his popularity have gone up let alone reached 80%? If anything, Cole is Clinton without the sincerity (really), a politician who feeds off popularity and how much money he can get for doing something rather than actually accomplishing anything for the people. He is a fake of monumental proportions, propped up by his loyal and obviously smitten aide, Grace Sutherland (Marcia Gay Harden), the obsiqieucely toadie Bullard (Fred Savage), and his campaign manager, the dark prince Bert Langdon (Rip Torn). Perhaps the greatest irony of "Welcome to Mooseport" is that we come upon the real "Eagle" Cole before the film finally allows the real "Handy" Harrison to emerge. Romano's best scenes are with Hackman, when the script finally allows them to be together on a golf course where they will settle their dispute like men (they are playing for Sally, not for the office of Mayor). Hackman, as you would expect, is bigger than his role, but Romano, suprisingly, turns out to be smaller than his because the screenplay by Tom Schulman decides that as soon as his "Handy" grows up (i.e., proposes to Sally), the movie is over. The situation needed to be reconceived so that the hero is farther behind and can get into full gear earlier to fight his way back into both the election and the life of the woman he apparently never noticed he loves. Romano's character and performance both suffer in comparison to those of the three women in the film. Tierney does a nice job of rising above the national interest in her love life, Harden has fun suffering in silence for most of the movie, and Baranski shows up to cause problems and get one of the film's biggest laughs by the raw power of the voice she uses to yell at the Secret Service. Romano had an excellent cast surrounding him for his first theatrical film, but the script really gave him no opportunity for his character to rise to their level. However, despite this fatal flaw, "Welcome to Mooseport" is not an offensive comedy, just a disappointing one. Besides, if you watcy in on DVD you can see the Soova commerical.
Rating:
Summary: (3 1/2) Simply A Lighthearted Comedy
Review: This is a movie to go to see if you just want to have a good time, laugh and smile a lot, and see some enjoyable performances from a likeable cast. No deep meaning to ascertain, no hidden agenda from the director, no complicated mysteries to unravel, and you can almost guess from a summary of the plot how everything will turn out, although there are a few clever twists. Ray Romano is now Handy(man) Harrison in Mooseport, Maine; however, the character's persona retains the essence of Ray Barone, the easygoing New York City sportswriter who he parlayed in fame and fortune on the TV series EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND. Maury Tierney is fun as the local veterinarian and Handy's girlfriend, who is running out of patience at the lack of progress in their relationship. Mooseport has been the idyllic small town community that exists as the romanticized version of small town New England, but things are about to change. Monroe "Eagle" Cole, an immensely popular two term president (Gene Hackman), is about to retire to his summer home there, since his abrasive and vindictive ex-wife Charlotte (Christine Baranski) has gotten their Maryland residence as part of the still contentious divorce agreement. At the welcoming ceremony after the Eagle lands in town, the local folks convince him to run for Mayor. The assumption is that he will be unopposed and that his term in the office will garner immense publicity for the town. However, Handy also decides to run, and when Eagle invites Sally for a dinner consultation/date, unaware of her relationship with his potential hometown rival, the die is cast for a hilarious sequence of events. Marcia Gay Harden is superb as Grace Sutherland, the Eagle's longtime assistant who is incredibly frustrated by the unseemliness of his transference of the tactics of big time power politics to a local race that has become an ego trip for Monroe. Rip Torn seems perfectly cast as the campaign manager so enamored of the game that he will go anywhere to play, and the supporting cast seem so believable that they could have migrated directly from Mooseport to the screen. Several very clever incidents accurately reflect how isolated from reality powerful politicians can become, and how protective their staffs often are. And the mating dance of Handy and Sally is one that undoubtedly will ring true for many members of the audience. However, the scenes are always played for the easy laugh, and the implications of the situations are never pursued and explored. Thus, the talents of the actors are underutilized by the script and direction, although they are certainly believable within the limitations of their roles, especially Hackman who gets the most out of the evolution of his character. Thus, in the end this film didn't quite rise to the level of four stars as a full blown theatrical production. It was relaxing fun, but I expect a little more, even in a romantic comedy. If it is compared to two other films by the same director (Donald Petrie), MISS CONGENIALTY and GRUMPY OLD MEN, it falls short in my estimation. Both Sandra Bullock and Candice Bergen (who had a really sharp edge) in the former had a message to deliver, although the film never got overly serious; Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau used their long term familiarity to humorously examine a serious issue in the latter. In summary, this film is fun, and I will undoubtedly enjoy watching it occasionally on TV although probably not give it my undivided attention except during my favorite moments. But, it is more light comedy with a romantic theme to tie it together and as a showcase for the film debut of Mr. Romano than a serious effort in the genre of romantic comedy. Tucker Andersen
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful movie
Review: This is a really great movie. I would recommend it to anyone. The plot line was ingenous and the movie was very funny. However, the supporting actresses stole the show. Maura Tierney was supurb. Anything with her in it is worth seeing. Marcia Gay Harden and Christine Baranski were also very funny. I didn't stop laughing.
Rating:
Summary: More Like, "Welcome to DULLSVILLE"
Review: This is what one might call a "work movie" or an excercise in filmmaking. WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT has an impressive cast from Ray Romano, Gene Hackman, Marcia Gay Harden, Maura Tierney, Rip Torn, and Fred Savage. However, the plot is predictable and the characters are one-dimensional. Hackman plays ex-President of the United States, Monroe Cole. He has retired to Mooseport, Maine and is asked by the local citizenry to run for a vacated Mayor's position. Then, he finds himself running against the local hardware store/plumber owner Handy Harrison played by Ray Romano. Then, the writers throw in a lame side-plot of Cole trying to win the heart of Handy's fiance (Tierney). Handy/Romano is so likeable and low-key in the movie that he gets lost amongst the townspeople and his co-workers at his hardware store during most of the movie. Hackman as ex-President Cole has the proverbial phoned-in performance. The real stand-out comedic performance is that of Fred Savage (tv's THE WONDER YEARS) as Coles's aid, Bullard. The most striking thing about the film is that there is no bite in the script and the dialogue is very bland as is the interaction of the characters. The production values and location shots are great in capturing the small town atmosphere, but that's all. Overall, a comedy/romance film that is just a vehicle to cash in on Ray Romano's tv persona. Therefore, it plays like a made-for-tv movie, it plays it too safe, and thus is a very forgettable tax write-off 20th Century Fox.
Rating:
Summary: Funny
Review: This movie was actually very funny! Ray Romano plays a home-grown local plumber and is hilarious like always. Gene Hackman plays a just retired divorced president who takes his summer house in Mooseport, ME as his primary residence. This is a big thing for the people of Mooseport that the president is going to live there. With the mayor spot currently vacant, the citizens of Mooseport ask the president if he would become mayor. The president says yes. There is just one problem though, the hardware store owner (Romano) wants to be mayor also. This has never happened in the history of Mooseport that two people run for mayor. So the mayor and the plumber try to sabotage each other. I was laughing mostly throughout the whole movie. If you like how Ray Romano acts on his sitcom you will love him in this movie because he has the same character traits as he does on his own show in the movie. This will be a movie that everyone will like, even kids. I think everyone should go see it while it is still in theatres! I enjoyed the movie very much!!!
Rating:
Summary: This was not even a star
Review: This was just someone flicking a match in the nights sky. I went to this junk movie and just hated it. Too bad they couldn't iond some one else besides Raymond. Gene Hackman was as great as normal, but unless you are the biggest Hackman or Ramono fan, Don't bother seeing this. If you are a big Ramano fan be ready for a disappointment because he really lets down in this one. If you're a really big Hackman fan, you still might not want to see this as his role carries the entire movie in a noticeable way, and it is really sad to see Hackman have to work so hard.
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