Mouse Hunt is a 1997 American slapstick black comedy film written by Adam Rifkin and directed by Gore Verbinski in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Maury Chaykin, and Christopher Walken. The film follows two Laurel and Hardy-like brothers in their struggle against one small but crafty house mouse for possession of a mansion which was willed to them by their father. While the film is set in the late 20th century, styles range humorously from the 1940s to the 1990s. It was the first family film to be released by DreamWorks Pictures, who released it in the United States on December 19, 1997, to mixed reviews but was a commercial success. This was one of William Hickey's final roles before he died, and the film was dedicated in memory of him. Plot When the once-wealthy string magnate Rudolf Smuntz dies, he leaves his factory and an abandoned Victorian mansion to his two sons: the dutiful and optimistic Lars, and venal cynic Ernie, who has ignored the family business to become a chef; he walks out of the reading of their father's will, taking a box of cigars. At Ernie's restaurant, a cockroach crawls out of the box of cigars and into a dish prepared for the mayor, causing him to have a heart attack when he accidentally bites into it and is taken away in an ambulance. Shortly after the mayor dies, Ernie's restaurant, Chez Ernie, is condemned and scheduled for demolition, costing Ernie his career and home in the process. Meanwhile, a cord company called Zeppco International offers Lars a buyout for the string factory, but then remembers that he promised his father never to sell it and refuses. Lars's wife, April, is furious and kicks him out. With nowhere else to go, the brothers spend the night in the mansion. The brothers cannot sleep due to noises caused by a mouse, and while investigating find blueprints of the property. The blueprints reveal that the mansion was the final design of a famous architect, Charles Lyle LaRue, and it would be worth a fortune if restored. The brothers decide to renovate and auction the mansion to recover their lives. Ernie, fearing a repeat of the cockroach incident, convinces Lars they must also get rid of the mouse. Conventional methods fail when the mouse demonstrates itself to be exceptionally intelligent. The brothers resort to