A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

A surprisingly witty and charming family comedy, Gore Verbinksi's Mouse Hunt, starring Nathan Lane and Lee Evans, see a pair of brothers who inherit a string factory getting into a furious hunt for a mouse who inhabits a house they inherit and want to sell.  The kind of slapstick which Hollywood rarely does well, it really is a treat.  Alan Silvestri has had somewhat mixed fortunes in the comedy genre, sometimes going just a little too saccharine for his own good, but despite the movie being about a mouse, he manages to completely avoid cheese in the music.  (And for that line alone, I think I deserve the Pulitzer Prize.)

It's all based around a terrific main theme, a rambunctious piece that perfectly captures the madcap nature of the movie without being too mickey-mousey (wahay - another pun) or irritating, as these things can be.  But the composer keeps things perfectly fresh with various other ideas through the score - "Funeral Prologue" is a terrific organ-based Bride of Frankenstein pastiche, and "Chez Ernie" a piece of truly charming jazz.  No film like this is complete without some tender emoting; and the best scores treat these with appropriate sincerity, but not overblown schmaltz - think of Jerry Goldsmith's curiously affecting funeral music in the otherwise slapstick Fierce Creatures - and Silvestri is more than up to the task with "Dying Wish".  Then comes a lovely waltz in "Charles Lyle Larue".  And all this, in the first five cues!  "What Are You Doing?" reprises the lovely jazz of "Chez Ernie" but this time adds a whistler to complete the truly charming effect.  

Thereafter, admittedly things do stay a little more conventional, but fortunately Silvestri keeps a broan grin on his face throughout, and the music never leaves its appeal.  "Ernie Finds the Contract" even features some full-bodied action music that could come from Judge Dredd or Volcano.  The album is only thirty minutes long, but given the amount of invention contained within actually seems far longer.  Numerous composers have tried this sort of thing before, but Silvestri manages to pull it off with a special panache.  It's melodic and appealing throughout and, unlike most scores of its type, remains entirely coherent and musical in its own right.  Sadly the album is quite hard to find these days, but this is one of the very best comedy scores in decades.

Tracks

1. Main Title (2:39)
2. Funeral Prologue (1:11)
3. Chez Ernie (1:14)
4. Dying Wish (1:41)
5. Charles Lyle Larue (:39)
6. What Are You Doing? (2:09)
7. Nail Gun (1:11)
8. Hot Tuboggan (:55)
9. Cherry Catapult (1:31)
10. Ernie Finds the Contract (1:49)
11. Silent Movie (1:14)
12. Caesar's Big Drag (2:06)
13. Shotgun Chase (1:29)
14. Insufficient Postage (1:21)
15. Flaming Doo (1:50)
16. String Cheese (2:17)
17. End Credits (5:37)