Movie Review: Night at the Museum

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Acting, jokes, special effects

Cons: Story needed a little ironing out

The Bottom Line:

A funny movie

That is so enjoyable

You'll forget the cons

Go Watch This Good Night

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is between jobs. Again. His brilliant inventions are either too far ahead of their time or already taken. This is wearing on his son Nick (Jake Cherry) who at ten years old is already developing a back up plan in case his first career choice doesn't pan out.

At the urging of his ex-wife (Kim Raver), Larry decides to get a steady job to help put stability into his son's life. The only job the employment agency thinks he is qualified for is night guard at the museum. There, he will be replacing three old guards (Dick van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs) who are being downsized due to budget cutbacks.

His first night on the job, he's in for a surprise. Between dusk and dawn, the entire collection of the museum comes to life. Suddenly, he finds himself dealing with everything from a dinosaur skeleton that wants to play catch to Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams). The animals in the African display want to eat him or take his keys. And in the diorama room, it's not Cowboys verses Indians, but Cowboys verses Romans. Larry has no clue how to deal with all this nonsense. Will he find a way or will he quit when the going gets tough like he always does?

When the trailers started showing up for this movie this summer, I couldn't wait to see this film. Fortunately, I was rewarded with a fun flick.

The story has lots of fun with its premises. Larry is obviously bewildered by the events, and his reactions are very funny. Once he tries to deal with what is happening, things get even funnier as the attempts only backfire.

Ben Stiller was the perfect choice for the lead. His style of acting is perfect for Larry. There are lots of other great names in the cast and they all do great jobs as well. Robin Williams plays a subdued form of his normal character here. Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan play the leads of the Cowboys and Romans, and they play off each other well.

The other star of this movie is the special effects. They are flawless. We get miniatures interacting with humans, moving skeletons, talking statues, the works. Frankly, great special effects are almost a given these days, but it is still worth noting.

So let's discuss the flaw of the movie – the story. We've seen some of the themes here before, a complaint I usually only note in passing. One of them could have been left out in order to give the others time to develop, however since the end bounced from theme to theme too quickly to give any true emotional resolution. The other flaw is a third act plot point that needed a little better development earlier in the story. There are one of two scenes that hint at what will happen, but they are so quick I didn't get what they meant until the end.

I must admit I wasn't quite sure from the trailers just how scary it might be. While there are some intense moments when Larry first realizes the museum is alive, most everything, even running from the dinosaur, is played for laughs. Only kids who are truly easily frightened will be afraid during this film.

While the story could have been a little better, that's a minor quibble. For the most part, Night at the Museum is exactly what it sets out to be, fun entertainment the entire family will enjoy.