Mooseport skewers the conventions of politics and media
Mooseport is an out-of-the-way burg in Maine that’s besieged by the media when
former president Monroe “Eagle” Cole (the unflappable Gene Hackman) decides
to retire there. Content to reap millions from a lecture tour, he’s sucked back
into public life when given the opportunity to run for mayor. Inclined to shun
the offer, he changes his mind after lovely local veterinarian, Sally (Maura
Tierney), tells him to run. Hoping to impress her, Monroe throws his hat in
the ring, prompting Sally’s inattentive beau, Handy (Ray Romano), to enter the
race as well. None of this sits well with Monroe’s assistant, Grace (Marcia
Gay Harden), who’s secretly in love with her boss.
Welcome to Mooseport stumbles early as we suffer through the requisite
parade of small town eccentrics and rubes. The convention that each town with
a population less than 5,000 needs at least 20 citizens who have a screw loose
needs to be retired permanently. Fortunately, the movie catches fire when ruthless
campaign strategist Bert Langdon (played with the perfect balance of class and
crassness by Rip Torn) and Monroe’s gold digging ex-wife Charlotte (Christine
Baranski) appear on the scene. The cynicism these two exude clashes with the
values of Mooseport and generates some of the film’s biggest laughs.
But what makes this genial satire worthwhile is how it skewers the conventions
of media and politics. The press gets a thorough roasting for focusing on minutiae
when Monroe’s date with Sally becomes the lead story on the news. And the ridiculous
behind-the-scenes strategizing, resulting in both men trying to lose the race,
would come off as even more absurd if it didn’t have the ring of truth.
In this fight, the clichés trade pucnches with the
sterotypes
After getting down and dirty earlier this year in Jane Campion’s In the
Cut, Meg Ryan successfully shed the girl-next-door image that threatened
to end her career. Too bad, the script of Against the Ropes — a fictionalized
account of America’s most famous female boxing promoter Jackie Kallen — isn’t
as fresh as Ryan’s performance.
What we have here is another old-fashioned boxing flick, chockfull of stereotypes
and clichés. There’s Kallen’s loutish boss (Joe Cortese), whose chauvinistic
behavior is exceeded only by the crooked boxing manager (Tony Shaloub), who
sells Kallen a fighter for a buck. That brawler proves to be overpriced, but
Kallen stumbles across a young boxer (Omar Epps) just looking for his lucky
break. He ends up being coached by, you guessed it, a retired trainer (the film’s
director Charles S. Dutton) who decides to give the sport one last chance.
The cast does what it can to breathe life into this tired effort. Granted,
the journey Kallen takes — employing her femininity to get through the door
of the boxing world, only to find herself ending up as boorish as her male rivals
— is engaging and well-handled. Unfortunately, this is the only original element
in the film and it’s undercut by an implausible set of circumstances during
the film’s climax during the “big fight.”
The only thing missing — and let’s all give thanks here — is the “boxer-tragically-killed-in-the-ring”
routine.
What other critics are saying. . .
Along Came Polly [PG-13] Ben Stiller plays a man who’s afraid of risk.
But he makes his living analyzing risk, gets involved in a risky romance, and
cheats on his wife.“A movie that sets its comedy bar too low for the
talents involved.” (Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter) ShowPlace West
Barbershop 2: Back in Business [PG-13] Spend another day with the crew
at Calvin’s [Ice Cube] barbershop on Chicago’s South Side. Parkway Pointe, ShowPlace
West
Big Fish [PG-13] Son learns more about his dying father by reliving
his father’s stories and myths. “Big Fish is Tim Burton’s masterpiece.” (Glenn
Whipp, L.A. Daily News) ShowPlace West
The Butterfly Effect [R] Evan (Ashton Kutcher), mourning the death
of his girlfriend, finds he can go back in time and change the future. But every
change he makes goes wrong. “Dreary and overfamiliar.” (Dennis Lim, Village
Voice) ShowPlace West
Catch That Kid [PG] Katie loves to climb, but her father’s forbidden
her because of an accident he had that paralyzed him. Desperate for money for
an operation to help her dad, Katie and her two best friends plan to rob the
bank where her mother works. “A stale, overbudgeted child-empowerment fantasy
that’s every bit as excruciating as the director’s previous work.” (Ben Kenigsberg,
Village Voice) ShowPlace West
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen [PG] Lola’s family moves from
New York City to the burbs in New Jersey. Lola sets her sights on winning the
lead in a school play while fantasizing about her favorite rock group. When
she gets word the group’s disbanding, she pulls out all the stops to make their
farewell concert. Not reviewed. Parkway Pointe,ShowPlace East
Eurotrip [R] Scotty’s German online pen pal suggests they meet. When
he discovers she’s gorgeous, he and three friends head out after graduation
to meet her. Their European trip is fraught with comical misadventures. Not
reviewed. ShowPlace West,ShowPlace East
50 First Dates [PG-13] Veterinarian Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) enjoys
dating women on vacation, but leaves his playboy life after he meets Lucy (Drew
Barrymore). Alas, Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss, forcing Henry to
woo her every day. ShowPlace East, ShowPlace West
The Gospel of John [PG-13] The story of Jesus, narrated by Christopher
Plummer. “Feels like the longest Sunday school class ever.” (Chris Hewitt, St.
Paul Pioneer Press) Parkway PointeÂ
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [PG-13] Final part of trilogy,
as hobbits Frodo and Sam journey to Mount Doom in Mordor. “As a model for how
to bring substance, authenticity and insight to the biggest of adventure yarns,
this trilogy will not soon, if ever, find its equal.” (Kenneth Turan, Los
Angeles Times) ShowPlace West
Miracle [PG] The story of the U.S. hockey team that beat the favored
Soviet team in the 1980 Winter Olympics, then went on to win the gold. “An effective
exercise in flag-waving nostalgia.” (Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune) ShowPlace
West,ShowPlace East
Something’s Gotta Give [PG-13] Fifty-something Erica Barry (Diane Keaton)
plays reluctant host to her daughter’s 60-something boyfriend, Harry (Jack Nicholson),
and sparks fly. “Something’s Gotta Give can be formulaic, but watching
the incandescent Nicholson and Keaton, all loose and funny and sharing jokes
about reading glasses, is a rare treat.” (Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta
Journal-Constitution) ShowPlace West
The Statement [R] The story of a Nazi executioner who become the target
of hit men and police investigators. “A surprisingly mild thriller, one that
meanders and spasms dramatically, and that, despite its occasional outburst
of violence, wastes a cast of ordinarily superb actors.” (John Anderson, Newsday)
Parkway Pointe
You Got Served [PG-13] Documents the competitive world of street dancing.
“On the checklist of things a movie should offer, like character development,
dialogue with subtext and plausibility, You Got Served is more like You
Got Screwed.” (Jami Bernard, New York Daily News) ShowPlace East
This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2004.
