Welcome to Mooseport. I just wanted to see how that sounded. I'm sorry, I'll go on now. Politics can make for great grist for the comedy mill, particularly when the writing is sharp (see Dave or The American President). The new comedy Welcome to Mooseport is everything that one might expect, and that's the problem. The entire movie plays like an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond - with special guest Gene Hackman. This isn't to say that this new political comedy is horrible, it's just that all of it's sharp edges have been sanded away, which dilutes the comedy down to about the strength of Utah beer, (what little comedy there is - I hasten to add). In the end it was an awfully dull, if mildly amusing way to spend my birthday.

For those wondering, Mooseport is a tiny town in Maine. In the movie, Ray Romano plays Handy Harrison, a sweet natured local repair man whom everyone turns to when their washer and dryer or other appliance breaks down. While Handy is a good man at heart, he is slightly oblivious to the fact that his longtime girlfriend Sally Mannis (a veterinarian played by the beautiful Maura Tierney) is ready for a longtime commitment. He just can't take a hint.

The plot thickens when Handy decides to run for mayor, but this becomes incredibly difficult when he discovers he's running against the one time President of the United States, Monroe Cole (played by Gene Hackman) who has now moved to Mooseport to retire after two terms in office. If that weren't bad enough, President Cole begins making moves on Sally. This only adds fuel to the fire of Handy's campaign as he becomes obsessively determined to take office so that he might win back the heart of his girl.

Who becomes mayor? Will Handy win back the his girl? These are the sort of questions that Welcome to Mooseport asks and answers in a rather predictable sitcom fashion.

Dirty politics do come into play ever so slightly, but Welcome to Mooseport opts for the less edgy route. This is, after all, a sweet-natured comedy, and the film makers have no interest in taking things too seriously . In the end, Welcome to Mooseport isn't really about how power and politics can corrupt the best of men, which for a moment is where I thought the movie might be headed. This whole theme remains a very tiny subplot. At it's heart, Welcome to Mooseport is more of a romantic comedy. That's the note it begins on and that's the note it ends on.

I've never been a huge fan of Ray Romano. I don't hate the guy, but I've always found him a little overrated on his TV show. His vocal work in Ice Age was terrific and surprisingly, he's quite likable here as well. He isn't drop dead funny, but he breezes along with a goofy, subtle charm that benefits the film. Quite obviously, Gene Hackman is a seasoned pro, and he's the perfect president here, no doubt borrowing certain traits from the Clinton Administration. What I really liked about him in this picture is quite simply his natural screen presence. He doesn't overplay this part even though some of the dialogue pushes him in that direction. Tierney is given the rather thankless task of playing the girl of everyone's affection, but her charm and class elevate her to a higher level. DItto for Marcia Gay Harden who appears as one of Cole's staff. There's a clever scene in which Harden and Tierney exchange some fun banter as they engage in a dopey little golf tournament while buzzed on Irish cream.

As likable as the cast is in Welcome to Mooseport, it just never really did much for me. I always knew where it was going (which would have been fine had I been laughing along the way.) Sadly, the laughs are scarce and the expert cast can only do so much. You could certainly do worse than see Welcome to Mooseport, but if you want my political advice, stay home and rent Dave or The American President instead, or if you want something with a little more kick don't forget Bulworth.