Welcome to Mooseport is a 2004 political comedy directed by Donald Petrie and starring Ray Romano and Gene Hackman, the latter in his final film role before retirement from acting.
Mooseport, Maine is the sort of little town where everybody knows everyone there, including Harold "Handy" Harrison (Romano), the amiable and reliable plumber. He's been seeing veterinarian Sally Mannis (Maura Tierney) for six years, but is reluctant — for a number of reasons — to pop the question, leaving her increasingly dissatisfied in their relationship.It and the town are then shaken up with the arrival of former U.S. President Monroe "Eagle" Cole (Hackman). The most popular man to hold that office in years, he's looking forward to recovering from a financial beating at the hands of his ex-wife and former First Lady, Charlotte Cole (Christine Baranski), who's taken him for most everything he's worth.
When Cole arrives in town, little does he know that the local council has decided he should succeed the recently deceased mayor. Although his assistant, Grace Sutherland (Marcia Gay Harden) and PR man, Will Bullard (Fred Savage), think it's a bad idea, the former President gives his word that he will.
Little does Cole know, however, that Handy already threw his hat into the ring. When the unassuming plumber learns that he's up against the President, he graciously bows out. Yet, when Cole asks out Sally — unaware that she's dating Handy — and she accepts, the plumber reenters the race, determined to get Sally back and win the election.
With Cole's former campaign manager, Bert Langdon (Rip Torn), back on the job, and Handy's friends and co-workers, urging him on, the two men prepare to do battle — campaign style — for control of Mooseport. Soon a simple election turns into an all-out-war.
The movie has the following tropes:
- Bizarre and Improbable Golf Game: Cole wins his golf games through cheating, though he doesn't know it—whenever one of his shots goes into the woods to the side of the course, the Secret Service agents hiding there throw it back onto the green, and he thinks he's just lucky. He challenges Handy to a game of golf, but Cole's ex-wife forces the agents out of hiding, and he discovers that without their help he's completely outmatched.
- Dork Horse Candidate: Naturally, Monroe Cole is shocked that his mayoral candidate is clumsy mechanic Handy Harrison.Cole: Are you telling me that I'm running for mayor against the man installing my toilets?!
- Improv: Ray Romano did this quite a bit. His line — "so you're going to go out with that president guy" — was ad-libbed.
- Naked People Are Funny\Shameless Fanservice Guy: Harv the middle-aged jogger is constantly seen jogging completely naked (save for socks and tennis shoes) and everybody seems pretty fine with it. Several full rear views of Harv are shown as he jogs down the town street—his butt is the opening shot. In several shots, a large banner blocks a frontal view of him
- Our Presidents Are Different: Ex-President Monroe "Eagle" Cole. He comes across as a mixture of a President Personable and a President Sue; a nice, grandfatherly charismatic man, so beloved by people that he retired with an 85% rating of approval (the highest FDR got was 84%), so popular that even a really small town like Mooseport knows him well (although it is his hometown as well). Also, he describes himself as "the most environmentally conscious president since Teddy Roosevelt". Nevertheless, at the same time, he's revealed to be an moderate President Jerkass who jokes about getting his adviser beaten up for not succeeding in his tasks, is arrogant, despised by his ex-wife, dates with the girlfriend of his mayoral candidate (and town plummer) Harold "Handy" Harrison, and plays it dirty when it comes to golf.
- Romantic Comedy: Although the film's a high concept political comedy, it's primarily a romantic comedy where two long-time partners are tested through the creation of a Love Triangle
