MouseHunt
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.
Despite a moderate budget of $38.0M, MouseHunt became a financial success, earning $122.4M worldwide—a 222% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
MouseHunt (1997) demonstrates carefully calibrated plot construction, characteristic of Gore Verbinski's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 38 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Rudolf Smuntz's funeral. The brothers Ernie and Lars stand together at their father's graveside, inheriting his string factory and a mysterious old house. Their relationship is cordial but distant.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Ernie's life collapses when he serves a cockroach to the Mayor, getting fired and losing everything. Meanwhile, Lars loses the factory when he refuses to cut corners. Both brothers are now broke and desperate.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to The brothers make an active choice to commit to renovating the mansion together, taking out a loan against the property. They burn their bridges with their old lives to pursue this dream of selling the house for millions., moving from reaction to action.
At 50 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat False defeat: After the cat fails spectacularly, the brothers hire professional exterminator Caesar. He arrives with supreme confidence, raising the stakes. The mouse has gone from nuisance to worthy adversary. Time pressure increases as the auction date approaches., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 72 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, All is lost: The brothers' final desperate attempt leads to the house being fumigated and then accidentally set ablaze. Caesar falls through the floor to apparent death (whiff of death). The mansion is destroyed. Their dream is ashes. The auction is impossible., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 77 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. The brothers discover original LaRue blueprints hidden in the house, revealing its true architectural genius. They have an epiphany: instead of selling, they should restore their father's legacy and work together. They choose family over fortune., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
MouseHunt's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping MouseHunt against these established plot points, we can identify how Gore Verbinski utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish MouseHunt within the comedy genre.
Gore Verbinski's Structural Approach
Among the 9 Gore Verbinski films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. MouseHunt represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Gore Verbinski filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Gore Verbinski analyses, see The Lone Ranger, The Weather Man and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Rudolf Smuntz's funeral. The brothers Ernie and Lars stand together at their father's graveside, inheriting his string factory and a mysterious old house. Their relationship is cordial but distant.
Theme
At the will reading, the lawyer mentions Rudolf's belief that "a man's legacy is not what he leaves behind, but what he builds." The brothers initially dismiss this sentiment, focused on material inheritance.
Worldbuilding
Establishing the brothers' separate lives: Lars runs the string factory trying to modernize it; Ernie is a chef at a fancy restaurant. Both are struggling financially. Lars's wife April is materialistic and unsupportive. The brothers discover they've inherited a dilapidated mansion.
Disruption
Ernie's life collapses when he serves a cockroach to the Mayor, getting fired and losing everything. Meanwhile, Lars loses the factory when he refuses to cut corners. Both brothers are now broke and desperate.
Resistance
The brothers reluctantly move into the old mansion together. They bicker and debate what to do. An auctioneer reveals the house was designed by famous architect Charles Lyle LaRue and could be worth a fortune. They decide to renovate and sell it.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The brothers make an active choice to commit to renovating the mansion together, taking out a loan against the property. They burn their bridges with their old lives to pursue this dream of selling the house for millions.
Mirror World
The mouse first reveals itself during renovations. This tiny creature represents the chaos that will force the brothers to confront what really matters. April leaves Lars, disgusted by the house and his choices.
Premise
The "fun and games" of battling the mouse. Escalating slapstick warfare: mousetraps, poison, a monstrous cat named Catzilla, and increasingly destructive attempts to catch one tiny mouse. The house suffers damage with each failed attempt.
Midpoint
False defeat: After the cat fails spectacularly, the brothers hire professional exterminator Caesar. He arrives with supreme confidence, raising the stakes. The mouse has gone from nuisance to worthy adversary. Time pressure increases as the auction date approaches.
Opposition
Caesar's increasingly extreme methods fail and nearly kill the brothers. The house sustains catastrophic damage. The brothers' relationship fractures under pressure, blaming each other. The bank threatens foreclosure. Everything spirals toward disaster.
Collapse
All is lost: The brothers' final desperate attempt leads to the house being fumigated and then accidentally set ablaze. Caesar falls through the floor to apparent death (whiff of death). The mansion is destroyed. Their dream is ashes. The auction is impossible.
Crisis
The brothers sit in the ruins, defeated. They have a moment of honest reflection about their father, their relationship, and what they've lost. They realize they've been so focused on money that they destroyed something irreplaceable.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The brothers discover original LaRue blueprints hidden in the house, revealing its true architectural genius. They have an epiphany: instead of selling, they should restore their father's legacy and work together. They choose family over fortune.
Synthesis
The brothers restore the mansion to glory and convert it into a string factory, honoring both their father's legacy and the house's heritage. They make peace with the mouse, who becomes their mascot. The business thrives with the brothers working in harmony.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening: the brothers stand together, but now united as true partners in the restored mansion-turned-factory. The mouse sits proudly in a display case filled with cheese. They've transformed from greedy individuals into a true family business.