Night at the Museum Review
by Tim Voon (winklebeck AT hotmail DOT com)January 9th, 2007
Night at the Museum (2006)
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 2006 Timothy Voon
3.5 out of 5 stars
Cast: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Jake Cherry, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson
'Night at the Museum' is an enjoyable visit to the museum. For those of you who don't like to visit a place that can sometimes be cold and creepy, especially with the amount of dead things on display, this movie brings them to life for you.
Ben Stiller is a comedienne that I actually enjoy watching, as he doesn't push the boundaries of comedy into the realm of poor taste too often. He also tends not to overwhelm the audience with his presence and blends in well with his co-stars. The same cannot be said about Robin Williams or Owen Wilson. Fortunately, they have only limited on screen time. Anyway, Stiller plays Larry who is an out of work father, divorced, jack of all trades, who is in desperate need of some stability in his life as his 9 year old son, Nick (Jake Sherry), is starting to lose faith in his father.
Out of desperation, in order to keep his visitation rights with his son, he takes the first job that comes his way - the night watchman at the local Museum of Natural History. It begins like a regular night shift but ends with the museum becoming a zoo of African mammals, with a circus of famous historical characters that include everyone from Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) to Genghis Khan, prehistoric men and even Sacajawea. I, for one, am a great fan of the natural history of man and the world in which we live. So for me, it was kind of fun to see history come to life on screen.
I guess if you have a child who absolutely detests going to the museum, watching this movie may be an enticement. After all, we can only make wise decisions for our future if we learn from our past mistakes and from those who did great things for the benefit of humanity. In this movie, the fact that dinosaur footprints were found in the snow and sightings of dead famous characters going to the museum in the middle of night did save this museum from bankruptcy.
Other comediennes of note are Ricky Gervais who plays the museum director. He has some of the most humorous moments with Ben Stiller, I cannot explain his unusual comedy style but it is subtle when he says less it is funnier than when saying more. Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney are also looking well for their age, and have fun poking fun at Stiller.
The ending is a trite cliché when Nick's faith in his father is restored, when he witnesses his father save the museum from some unscrupulous thieves. It is a positive affirming ending, that all family movies aim for and so should not itself be a criticism.
Timothy Voon
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