MOUSE HUNT (1997): Imagine a remake of HOME ALONE where they replaced Macaulay Culkin with a cute little rodent and you pretty much get what MOUSE HUNT is all about. The difference between the two is that HOME ALONE had heart and it had villains. MOUSE HUNT has none of that. Nathan Lane and Lee Evans are a pair of down-on-their-luck brothers who inherit a broken down Victorian house. When they discover its true value they decide to renovate it and auction it off for a big payday. Unfortunately, the only resident, Mr. Mouse objects to the intruders and the rest of the movie becomes a live action Road Runner cartoon. The slapstick gags are often expensive and elaborate using the most sophisticated effects available. Why then arent they very funny? Any old Laurel & Hardy short (made for peanuts) will have you laughing your ass off. Why? Because they are characters the audience loved and cared about. Oliver Hardy always thought he was smarter than Stan, only he wasnt. So, when he pushed his partner out of the way to show him how to clean a chimney properly and a ton of bricks fell on his head we laughed. We didnt want to see Ollie hurt, but when he did it was in a well, it serves you right tone. We never feel that kind of empathy for Lane and Evans and frankly we never get to know the very well mouse either. Yeah, hes cute, but he has no character. That is the main problem with this film. Who are you rooting for? The brothers arent really bad guys and the mouse is just a mouse. Jerry (of Tom and Jerry fame) had more personality. Slapstick has to work on an emotional level otherwise it doesnt payoff. A guy slipping on a banana peel isnt funny, but a mean man who just tried to foreclose on grandmas house is. I think they may have realized this midway through the movie and thats why they included the scene with Christopher Walken as a psycho exterminator. When he gets his comeuppance its funny. Or, maybe it was just funny because it was Christopher Walken dragged down the stairs. Not entirely sure on that point. I think Nathan Lane is a very comical actor, but he had very little to work off of with this script. He does what he can though and can throw off an acid-tipped barb with the best of em. He also knows how to play up the physical schtick when called upon. I just wish he was in a better movie. The film itself has a wonderful visual style and director Gore Verbinski shows some flare. I was confused about what era this movie was supposed to be set in. Everyone seems to be dressed in late 40s early 50s garb. They drive vintage automobiles and the photographers use those old fashioned pop bulb flashes, but then in other scenes people are using modern appliances. It is a puzzlement. MOUSE HUNTs destructive mayhem will no doubt keep the little tykes entertained, but mom and dad may want to choose another film to watch to entertain the whole family. I rate this 2 1/2 pies in the face out of 4.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 12:43:04 +0000
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