Gore Verbinski's feature debut is a live-action slapstick comedy in which two hapless brothers, played by Nathan Lane and Lee Evans, inherit a decrepit mansion worth a fortune, only to find it defended by a single, absurdly cunning mouse. The film leans hard into cartoonish physical gags and Rube Goldberg destruction, with Christopher Walken stealing scenes as a deranged exterminator. It was a modest hit that has aged into a nostalgic cult favorite, remembered for its inventive practical effects and manic energy more than any depth.