The small, tightly-knit town of Mooseport, Maine, has a problem. Its long-time mayor has just died and, so far, no one has stepped up to run for the position.

Fortunately -- and amazingly enough -- this situation arises just at the moment that a famous politician retires to his summer home there. He is none other than Monroe "Eagle" Cole (Gene Hackman), the former President of the United States, who has been the most popular president of all time. Popular except, of course, with his ex-wife and the former First Lady, Charlotte Cole (Christine Baranski), who took everything BUT the summer home in the divorce. "Eagle" is taken aback yet honored when the town officials ask him to run for mayor. He eventually agrees.

Harold "Handy" Harrison (Ray Romano) is a local guy and a plumber who runs the town's hardware store. He knows everyone, and everyone knows him. For six years now, he's been in a relationship with Dr. Sally Mannis (Maura Tierney), the town veterinarian. Not knowing that somebody else is now running for mayor, Handy throws his hat into the ring, just to do a favor for his hometown. Meanwhile, Eagle runs into Sally and asks her to dinner, not knowing of her connection to Handy.

Suddenly the two men are both after the same job and the same woman. Yikes!

You can sense that the plot may fit into the mold of a classic David and Goliath story. It also becomes a fish-out-of-water tale, twice over. Monroe Cole is obviously out of his element here, trying to operate in a small-town environment that he and his staff members hardly know. Handy Harrison knows the territory but is a newcomer to what will soon become big-time politics. Who will win the election? More importantly: Who will win Sally's heart?

The leading actors play to their standard types, which ramps up the fun. The supporting cast members are good ones, too. Cole is flanked by assistant Grace Sutherland (Marcia Gay Harden) and publicist Bullard (Fred Savage), as well as by his seasoned campaign manager, Bert Langdon (Rip Torn). Harrison has faithful store employees and friends in Irma (June Squibb), Martha (Jackie Richardson) and Bob (Paul Bates). It's quite an ensemble here.

The scenes were filmed in the Toronto area and not in Maine at all, and yet the place still looks authentic. The community vibe is reminiscent of other small towns we've seen depicted on the screen, as in Groundhog Day, Runaway Bride and even a little bit of Northern Exposure or The Andy Griffith Show. Even if you don't live in a small town, you'll still recognize the atmosphere.

If you want some fun entertainment that includes more than a few jabs of humor at the political process, Welcome to Mooseport could fit the bill. It has at least a few laugh-out-loud moments and is a good story offered up by an array of amusing characters. And you may still be a bit surprised by the ending.