Mouse Hunt

Two estranged and financially-strapped brothers are reunited when their father dies, leaving them a dilapidated mansion that turns out to be an architectural treasure. Their best laid plans to restore the dump are foiled, however, by a resourceful mouse which anticipates all their attempts to exterminate it. A parental advisory: While the mischievous mouse will captivate kids, this designated family film is an uneasy mix of black comedy (check out the runaway casket in the funeral that opens the film) and mean-spirited slapstick in the tradition of Home Alone. Freed from The Birdcage, Nathan Lane, one of comedy's big cheeses, seems to be channeling Jackie Gleason. And Lee Evans, a star in his native England, gets only one scene that suggests his prowess at physical comedy (he is used to better advantage in Funny Bones). Christopher Walken also appears as a high-tech, fecal-tasting (ex)terminator. In considering purchase, the video's low price is the real bait. (K. Lee Benson)