Corporate Line: After completing his two terms in the White House, a former president settles down in a small coastal New England town to write his memoirs and enjoy his retirement. He’s soon asked to run for the office of mayor of the town however, with the local hardware store owner (Romano) running against him “just to keep things honest”. The president’s life-long experience of political campaigns leads him, however, to accelerate the competitive nature of the race, to the point that it becomes one of the most contentious fights of his career.
The Good: Gene Hackman steals almost every scene he is in. Christine Baranski, the President’s ex, is hilarious.
The Bad: No, reality isn’t always a prerequisite for making a film-however that’s what Welcome To Mooseport was selling and we aren’t buying. Most of the film is too out of reach for belief and interest. There are many chances for the filmmakers to give us a reason to keep on watching yet they never do. So much of the film revolves around a paper thin excuse for every twist and turn-especially when a local woman talks the President into running for Mayor.
What are worse are the stereotypes that the screenwriters give for a middle of America town. It’s full of goofballs, hicks and perfectly weaved town much like Mayberry. Has this screenwriter ever lived anywhere other than Hollywood? Reality must seem hard to swallow.
Romano isn’t his funny self from Raymond. It’s not his fault. See the script.
Frankly: A plot so thin that you can see right through it. Skip this and go for something more presidential.
+ Charlie Craine
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