“Welcome to Mooseport”

Directed By Donald Petrie

Starring Gene Hackman, Ray Romano

20th Century Fox

Rated PG-13

115 minutes

Grade: C-

In a small town in Maine, a local plumber ends up running for mayor against the former president of the United States. That’s the short and simple version of “Welcome to Mooseport.” Mooseport is a place where anything can happen (such as an old man running around naked), but everything turns out to be dull and induces very few laughs.

Ray Romano stars as simpleton Handy Harrison. Handy is handy to all of the residents of Mooseport, except his girlfriend (Maura Tierney) of six years. So, what is a girl to do? Why not go out with the president (Gene Hackman) and make your ex-boyfriend jealous? Yes, this is one of the many ridiculous storylines of the movie. Many movies can pull off absurdity and make the audience roar with laughter. However with Mooseport, the audience develops a “who cares?” kind of attitude. The movie comes off as cheesy, and acts like a PG movie aimed for the young’uns. This movie isn’t a romantic comedy, although the romantic storyline plays a huge part of the movie. Nor is this movie a comedy, since laughs are few and far between. The movie just sort of sits there, waiting to go to home video.

On screen, Romano seems like he is trying way too hard to act. His character at times appears so implausible that it seems like a bad audition tape. Romano only manages one or two chuckles throughout the movie, which is sad because he is the main character. This is Romano’s first full-length movie and it shows.

Hackman as the ex-president isn’t much better, either. Hackman seems to have the potential to pull off the president in another movie, but not this one. It is so far fetched that the president would run for mayor in a small town anyway that anything that comes out of Hackman’s mouth seems silly.

The redeeming factor of the movie and that, which makes the film tolerable, is the hilarious supporting characters. This is very similar to the comedic ailment of his sitcom, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” where every character is hilariously funny, except for Romano.

Romano’s girlfriend Sally is convincingly played by Tierney, who finds that subtle balance between quirkiness and cute. Perhaps if Romano’s character were played by another actor, Tierney would have shined. That said, she does a good job given the circumstances.

Christine Baranski plays the former first lady, who is a self-centered woman bent on milking the money from her ex-husband. Baranski is perfect for this role, and provides many of the more laughable moments in the film. In one scene where Romano and Hackman are golfing, she triumphantly arrives in a golf cart and with her antics, laughter soon ensues.

Marcia Gay Harden and Fred Savage are presidential aides who also provide much-needed giggles. One scene is especially funny in which Harden and Tierney get wasted after they lose their loves, and they attempt to make an indoor putting green.

In the end though, these supporting characters do not make up for the huge faults that the storyline exudes. Romano is decidedly the worst element though. He is trying to set himself up for a career after his sitcom, but with a movie like this, he may have to settle for stand-up comedy.