Welcome to Mooseport

Filmmaker Donald Petrie's Welcome to Mooseport is a fusty, rusty, laugh-track-lame comedy about two petty, immature men running for mayor of the stereotypically idyllic, condescendingly quirky, titular small town, while also vying for the affections of the same woman. One of them (an unusually humdrum Gene Hackman) is the newly termed-out President of the United States, who has retired to the little Maine burg and enters the race as a PR stunt that goes awry. The other (torpid TV star Ray Romano) owns the local hardware store and never had the backbone to commit to anything before. Spite and silly mistakes lead both candidates to run while ridiculous false dilemmas prevent them from withdrawing (even though they both want to), and once you get past the screenplay's fresh paint, these two guys are the same stale, odious, infantile jerks who have been pawned off as Everyman heroes in every ill-conceived comedy for the last 20 years. It's kind of sad what passes for political satire in the George W. Bush era. Not recommended. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Donald Petrie, six deleted scenes (including an alternate ending) with optional director commentary, an outtake reel, the “Soova Commercial” in English and Norwegian versions, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a dud of a film.] (R. Blackwelder)