Down-on-their luck brothers, Lars and Ernie Smuntz, aren't happy with the crumbling old mansion they inherit... until they discover the estate is worth millions. Before they can cash in, they have to rid the house of its single, stubborn occupant—a tiny and tenacious mouse.
Practical Effects
Pre-CGI destruction porn—every splinter is real, every explosion practical.
Production
The house is a Rube Goldberg death machine built to implode beautifully.
Acting
Nathan Lane's escalating despair belongs in an opera.
Director
Gore Verbinski
Nathan Lane
Ernie Smuntz
Lee Evans
Lars Smuntz
Vicki Lewis
April Smuntz
Maury Chaykin
Alexander Falko
Eric Christmas
The Lawyer
Michael Jeter
Quincy Thorpe
Debra Christofferson
Ingrid
Camilla Søeberg
Hilde
Ian Abercrombie
Auctioneer
Annabelle Gurwitch
Roxanne Atkins
Eric Poppick
The Banker
Ernie Sabella
Maury
William Hickey
Rudolf Smuntz
Christopher Walken
Caesar
Cliff Emmich
Mayor McKrinle
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Gore Verbinski's first feature—he went from a mouse destroying a house to PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. The through-line? Chaos.
The mouse was played by dozens of real mice AND animatronics—no CGI. Verbinski refused, making this a $38 million testament to stubbornness.
US
