Mouse Hunt

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Mouse Hunt

PG

1997

1h 37m

Kids & Family

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

50%

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

Jan 30, 2018

2.5/4

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

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Derek Adams

Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

Lane is especially funny, his deadpan Hardy-esque mannerisms working perfectly against Evans' winsome Laurel-inspired character, and there's a memorable cameo from Walken as a manic exterminator.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2/4

Mouse Hunt is not very funny, and maybe couldn't have been very funny no matter what, because the pieces for comedy are not in place.

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Matt Soergel

Florida Times-Union

Apr 8, 2026

2/4

Mouse Hunt, though chockfull of amusing stunts, is sadly lacking in the personality department.

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Adrian Martin

Film Critic: Adrian Martin

Jul 30, 2025

3/5

Debut feature director Gore Verbinski skilfully employs a high-energy, expressionistic style.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jul 6, 2025

3/4

Here’s a slapstick comedy that bests the Home Alone series when it comes to mayhem movies aimed at family audiences.

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Robert P

@Superbad 3 days ago

Mouse Hunt = a 2.5 star movie!

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Jim G

@cubicinfinity Jun 19, 2026

I would recommend this to a mature audience looking for an alternative to swiss or brie. Maybe it's just the nostalgia, but I think Mouse Hunt contains the most perfectly sliced 68 6F 75 73 65 68 6F 6C 64 20 64 69 73 61 73 74 65 72 trope to date. (Plot relevant spoiler flavored with hexadecimal ASCII) With moments that fall into very funny, kinda funny, cute, or just dumb, its tongue in cheese and often dark sense of humor will be perfect for the right viewer. After a few drinks, that could be you! The vaguely-accidental groping near the end of the movie is barely funny, and the more I age, the sharper discomfort it inflicts. It may not be DreamWorks' best movie, but did I mention it's the cheesiest?

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Ben W

@Username618 Apr 25, 2026

seem to remember quite enjoying.

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Sean M

@RT17962602 Mar 25, 2026

I LOVE this movie. When I was boy I watched it and was completely immersed in the movie like never before. As an adult I watched it again and had the same experience. It’s incredibly creative and completely captures my attention. Some movies are very dialogue heavy, and others are telling more of story in what’s not being said. This is a movie that speaks outside of words. It’s a piece of art that truly leaves me in awe when I watch it. It’s not a movie to take literally, rather to immerse yourself and go along on the journey. Truly one of the most creative movies I’ve ever seen and would highly recommend it!

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carrie T

@RT38768110 Mar 20, 2026

Boring movie, no plot, recommended for kids below 13years old

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Average J

@AlanT Dec 10, 2025

One of the funniest and most creative movies I've ever seen. Unpredictable story. Funny special effects and camera angles. Really good acting from a small cast.

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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

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - The House Floods

2:09

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - Sleeping Mouse

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - Find a Blunt Object!

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - Mouse Traps

2:08

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - Auction Awkwardness

2:12

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - The Bug Bomb Goes Off

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - String Cheese

2:05

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - Smells Like Gas

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Mousehunt: Official Clip - Cockroach Dinner

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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: Red Feather Photoplays, DreamWorks SKG
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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