This time last year comedies like "How to Lose A
Guy In 10 Days" and "Shanghai Knights"
were ruling the box office. Oh, what a difference
a year makes. We have moved from pathetic romantic
comedies and lame attempts at sequel glory to a rare
comedic gem that turned out to be one of the most
refreshing comedies I have seen in years. Director
Donald Petrie (who, oddly enough, also directed the
Hudson/McConaughey bomb listed above) usually makes
bizarre, awkward little films. Here, he has taken
some top notch comedians, given them a beautiful script,
and churned out comic gold.
The film is "Welcome to Mooseport". The
central character is Handy Harrison (Ray Romano), the
local Mooseport plumber, who is procrastinating a little
too much concerning his romance with Sally (Maura
Tierney). Enter former United States President
Monroe Cole (Gene Hackman), a Mooseport native who has
returned home for his retirement. Soon, the former
Head of State is recruited by the townspeople to run for
mayor. He, of course, accepts, and the plumber
joins the race also to 'keep things fair'. Alas,
the ex-President falls for the plumber's love interest
and the race heats up more than either one bargained
for. Marcia Gay Harden is Hackman's top advisor
and Christine Baranski co-stars as the President's loud
and abusive ex-wife Charlotte.
As most of you may know, Ray Romano does not take many
film roles. In "Ice Age", he could only
be heard. Here he has chosen the perfect film with
which to make the transition from small screen to big
screen. Romano's comedic timing and abilities are
flawlessly showcased here, and he and Hackman play well
off one another. We all know Hackman can do
comedy. "The Royal Tenenbaums" was his
best performance to date and his supporting role in
"Heartbreakers" was the highlight of the
entire film. The supporting players -- i.e.
Baranski, Tierney, Rip Torn, Fred Savage -- also add
their own unique touches to the script and help elevate
it to another level -- it is not 'just another comedy'.
The audience really starts to care about Romano's
character. We hope he gets the girl. We hope
he overcomes what seems like the impossible.
Romano is great about making people like him, and he
certainly has the charisma to pull it off here.
Take, for example, the scenes with Romano and Tierney --
scenes where Romano overanalyzes mundane aspects of life
that would normally seem unimportant and dull.
After hearing him rant about them, we know exactly what
he is talking about and can even start to sympathize
with him. How many other comedians can make an
audience do that? Not many.
"Welcome to Mooseport" is one of the funniest
comedies I have seen in a long time and it kind of
reminded me of those old SNL/SCTV films of the 1980's,
like "The Great Outdoors" and "Planes,
Trains, & Automobiles". It is directed in
the same style. Nevertheless, this film has
something for everyone. The older audience members
love Gene Hackman. The younger audience members go
for Ray Romano. "Wonder Years" fans get
Fred Savage, theatrical fans get Christine Baranski, and
"Freddie Got Fingered" fans get Rip Torn --
okay, bad example. Whatever your reason for going,
you will not be disappointed.
