Gene Hackman’s Final Film Flop

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In recent times, the world of entertainment bid farewell to an iconic figure as the esteemed actor Gene Hackman passed away at the age of 95. Although some details about his death remain unclear, there is no debate about Hackman’s legendary status in Hollywood. Among his numerous celebrated performances are films such as “The French Connection,” “Superman,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Unforgiven,” “Hoosiers,” “The Firm,” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.” However, one of his lesser-known titles marks his final film before retirement.

Gene Hackman’s most recent screen performance was in the 2004 film “Welcome to Mooseport.” In this movie, he portrayed a former U.S. President who moved to a small town in Maine and developed a friendship with a local handyman, played by Ray Romano. Unfortunately, “Welcome to Mooseport” was both critically and commercially unsuccessful. Despite its lackluster performance, it may not have been the sole factor that led to Hackman’s decision to retire. However, it’s intriguing to ponder whether this underperforming film had something to do with his departure from the limelight. Regardless of the reasons behind his retirement, Gene Hackman was truly a Hollywood icon. His career, spanning over five decades, deserved a more fitting conclusion than “Welcome to Mooseport.” Let’s delve into the details of this film, understand why it fell short, and explore its impact on the latter part of Hackman’s life.

‘Welcome to Mooseport’s Plot and Underperformance

In this film, we find retired President Monroe “Eagle” Cole, played by Hackman, seeking solace in a small town of Mooseport, Maine, away from his former spouse, Charlotte. When the mayor passes away, Cole decides to run for the position. His motive is to transform his residence into an official office, thereby preventing it from being sold or seized by his ex-wife. His main competitor in this election is Harold “Handy” Harrison, a local hardware store owner, who enters the race to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend Sally. A few plot twists follow as the story unfolds.

In this scenario, Cole enlists the help of his seasoned Washington associates for his Mooseport campaign, whereas Handy chooses not to engage in underhanded or unscrupulous tactics. For the first time, Cole finds himself competing against an honest individual, and both candidates ultimately urge voters to support each other instead. Through this experience, both Handy and Cole gain insights into their personal values, the nature of winning in politics, and what truly matters in life.

Apart from Romano, Hackman, Baranski, Tierney, Fred Savage, Rip Torn, June Squibb, and Edward Herrmann, the movie also featured several other stars. However, despite this star-studded cast, the film’s box office performance was disappointing to say the least. Welcome to Mooseport earned a mere $14.6 million during its first 12 weeks in theaters, which is significantly lower than its production budget of $30 million. To make matters worse, it received poor reviews, with a score of only 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Critics pointed out the lack of bite in the political satire, the uninteresting humor, and the monotonous writing. Hackman’s acting skills were commended by some who felt he made the most of a subpar script. However, it didn’t quite live up to his previous cinematic achievements. At that time, Romano was mainly recognized for his work in sitcoms, and he struggled to keep pace with Hackman as a co-lead. Surprisingly, even Roger Ebert, renowned for his critical eye, gave it three out of four stars. He attributed the film’s success to the natural charm of both Romano and Hackman.

Hackman’s Retirement After ‘Welcome to Mooseport’

As a fervent admirer of President Monroe Cole, I can say that Gene Hackman’s final role before retiring was under his leadership. However, it’s a misconception to believe that the flop of “Welcome to Mooseport” single-handedly ended Hackman’s entire career.

After its premiere, Hackman himself clarified in an interview that he had no more projects planned and was essentially retiring. Later on, he elaborated that his decision to retire was due to health reasons, specifically the strain that acting put on him physically.

Although he decided to step back from the industry, Hackman didn’t fully retire in 2007. That year, he narrated four episodes of the NFL series America’s Game: The Super Bowl Champions. The following year, his final onscreen role was as a customer in an episode of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. In 2016 and 2017, he took short breaks from retirement to narrate the Marine Corps documentaries The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima and We, the Marines. After these projects, he officially retired and made rare public appearances until his passing in 2025.

As a movie aficionado, I can confidently say that Gene Hackman was undeniably a cornerstone of Hollywood for many years. And while I wished his final role, in “Welcome to Mooseport,” would have been more acclaimed, it didn’t diminish the impressive body of work he had already created. His choice to retire when he did was truly uncommon in our industry—a testament to an actor putting their personal well-being first. It’s heartening to see a top-tier star acknowledge when it’s time to hang up the acting hat, as so many others continue to work themselves tirelessly.

After reaching 95 years, Hackman’s life was quite a remarkable stretch for anyone. With his departure, some admirers of Hackman might be intrigued to revisit his last major movie role. Could it be that Welcome to Mooseport has improved with time? Perhaps so, but it’s hard to imagine any satire surpassing the current political scene in terms of absurdity. By the way, Welcome to Mooseport is now available for streaming on Prime Video.

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2025-03-09 19:07