Mouse Hunt

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Mouse Hunt

PG

Released Dec 19, 1997

1h 37m

Kids & Family

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When their string magnate father, Rudolf Smuntz, dies, brothers Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (Lee Evans) move into his decrepit mansion. Struggling to keep a promise to never sell the now unprofitable string factory, the brothers decide that restoring the house, the last built by a famous architect, could bring them a great deal of money. But during their restoration attempts, Ernie and Lars are continually frustrated by a malicious mouse that keeps destroying their efforts.

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Critics Consensus

Even with some vivaciously archaic mugging from its two leads, Mouse Hunt gets trapped under the weight of its excessive slapstick antics.

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Mike Clark

USA Today

Mouse Hunt mostly squeaks by thanks to the considerable mugging prowess of its leads players, Lee Evans and Nathan Lane.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 30, 2018

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C+

Sep 7, 2011

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 2/5

Dec 24, 2002

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

At once a raucous Rube Goldberg rondelay, a modern-day Marx Brothers comedy, a sweet story of sibling bonds, a stunning movie-magic mixture of effects work, and a successful challenge to find new levels of weird even for a guy like Christopher Walken.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 29, 2025

Full Review

Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Fans of '90s Home Alone will feel right at home with Mouse Hunt — the remastered 1997 comedy delivers a similar tone, physical gags, and charm.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 23, 2025

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

The real fun is watching what the special-effects team does with the mouse -- or mice -- who are for the most part trained. The kids giggle while moms and dads roar right along with them.

Rated: B

Jan 19, 2023

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Audience Member

Absolute banger and a really funny movie...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/21/25

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Audience Member

Enjoyable movie and good characters, 8.5/10

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/25

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Lawrence W

For such a talented cast and director, you'd think they could've come up with something better.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/14/24

Full Review

Rick T

A riot of laughs. Nathan Lane and Lee Evans are a great comedy duo, and Christopher Walken plays the mad "Caesar the Exterminator". Best of all, I love a story with a happy ending.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/11/24

Full Review

Jordy M

This is a movie where a mouse is the central focus of the story, and it's not something that can be justified by animation like in Ratatouille, so the writers were quite forced to stretch the narrative to make each of the story elements fit; therefore, we cannot expect much in that regard. However, that being said, the work behind this film is magnificent. After all, we’re talking about a combination of practical effects with digital effects that, in many cases, is almost indistinguishable. Furthermore, the coordination and logistics are perfect. Simply for the work behind all of this, this is a movie worth watching. Now, beyond that, the synergy between the two brothers reminds me a lot of the type of physical comedy performed by The Three Stooges or Charlie Chaplin, and even felt very similar to Home Alone given the mishaps the Smuntz brothers go through. In that sense, I consider it a very pleasant and captivating family movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/25/24

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Audience Member

A fun family film with a dark edge made that bit funnier with the incredible duo of Nathan Lane and Lee Evans.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/08/24

Full Review

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Gore Verbinski

Director

Nathan Lane

Ernie Smuntz

Lee Evans

Lars Smuntz

Vicki Lewis

April Smuntz (Lars' Wife)

Maury Chaykin

Alexander Falko (Mr. Falko)

Eric Christmas

Ernie and Lars' Lawyer

Mousehunt: Official Clip - Caesar the Exterminator

1:06

Mousehunt: Official Clip - The House Floods

2:09

Mousehunt: Official Clip - Sleeping Mouse

1:21

Mousehunt: Official Clip - Find a Blunt Object!

1:36

Mousehunt: Official Clip - Mouse Traps

2:08

Mousehunt: Official Clip - Auction Awkwardness

2:12

Mousehunt: Official Clip - The Bug Bomb Goes Off

2:13

Mousehunt: Official Clip - String Cheese

2:05

Mousehunt: Official Clip - Smells Like Gas

1:45

Mousehunt: Official Clip - Cockroach Dinner

0:45

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Synopsis

When their string magnate father, Rudolf Smuntz, dies, brothers Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (Lee Evans) move into his decrepit mansion. Struggling to keep a promise to never sell the now unprofitable string factory, the brothers decide that restoring the house, the last built by a famous architect, could bring them a great deal of money. But during their restoration attempts, Ernie and Lars are continually frustrated by a malicious mouse that keeps destroying their efforts.

Director: Gore Verbinski
Producer: Bruce Cohen, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche
Screenwriter: Adam Rifkin
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG, Red Feather Photoplays
Production Co: DreamWorks SKG
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.8M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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