I've been away for ages but I'm back with avengence!
I've been away for ages but I'm back with avengence!
Member since:30.11.2005
Reviews:220
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Director: Shawn Levy Release Date: December 2006 Genre: Family Comedy/ Action Adventure Certification: PG Runtime: 108 minutes Actors: Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, Owen Wilson and the list goes on and on…
>>>The general gist of it<<< Larry, a divorced Dad who while clinging on to his dream of selling one of his slightly unrealistic inventions like the Snapper - lights activated by snapping – not dissimilar to the already popular lights activated by clapping… struggles to hold down a legitimate job and not disappoint his son Nick. Determined not to let down his son who still has faith in him, Larry takes the last job available to him as a night guard at New York’s Museum of Natural History after downsizing sees Cecil, Gus and Reggie (Van Dyke, Rooney and Cobbs) made redundant in preference to one younger guard.
It isn’t until Larry’s first night on duty that he discovers he is in for much more than he originally signed up for. But will he be able to keep control of the lively museum that comes to life at night thanks to an ancient curse? Will he be able to hang on to his job, keep the respect of his 10 year old son and even solve a mystery crime along the way?
>>>Who is Shawn Levy<<< Shawn Levy is
not only the Director behind successful family oriented films such as Cheaper by the Dozen, Just Married and The Pink Panther. His career as Director/ Producer/ Writer and Actor can be traced back to stints working on TV hit programmes Thirty-something and Beverly Hills 90210 following his graduation from Yale University at the tender age of just 20.
>>>Storyline/Script<<< I love anything that promotes imagination as some of my previous reviews might suggest. The idea of a museum and its contents coming to life (I don’t think I am giving too much away with this revelation) is a wonderfully simple idea which opens up so many great possibilities for adventure and exploration.
The script follows the same formula as many Ben Stiller projects and its focus on giving the majority of humourous dialogue to Stiller is a familiar occurrence now. However, it is impossible in a film with such a strong cast not to share the wealth even slightly more equally between characters and the trio of previous night guards are given some fairly witty one liners as well.
Stiller films are filled with easy humour that will appeal across the board. The colourful use of language -not to be confused with bad language, the ability to laugh at himself mercifully a well-timed script are part of his repeated success.
>>>Acting<<< With an incredible ensemble cast which sees comedic legends like Mickey Rooney and Robin Williams teamed with the newer and glossier younger comedic styles of Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller and sprinkled with good old UK humour in the form of Steve Coogan and Ricky Gervais, you can rest assured you will at the very least, have a giggle or two along the way.
Stiller plays slap-stick brilliantly and can’t be faulted on his timing and precision while Williams, who is usually the king of slap-stick plays his part as Teddy Roosevelt in a more subdued manner. Instead of focusing on his comedic value the film shoes his softer side giving the view a character to identify and sympathize with. Gervais who plays the museums curator isn’t really used to his potential but I suspect there was concern about him stealing focus from the more prevalent characters from a fairly minor role.
The teaming between Van Dyke, Cobbs and Rooney is untouchable. Three strong characters we don’t see much of these days coming together to play parts I think they were made for. How funny it is to see a round aging Rooney take on the younger Stiller and quite frankly, kicking his bum. The unusual pairing between Coogan and Wilson is another example of sharing the limelight well and feeding off of each other to produce great viewing Wilson in particular has some great scripting and some wonderfully light insulting names for people. I would be more than happy to see these two teamed up together again in the future.
>>>Cinematography<<< This film is all about special effects and creating an imaginary world the viewers would all want to be a part of. The way the museum comes to life so naturally is great and helps to create a larger than life feel which only intensifies the fun and adventure of the film.
I was particularly impressed by the dinosaur skeleton who likes to play fetch after the lights go out. Each individual movement was choreographed to give him the air of an active puppy right down to the wagging tail.
The scenes involving battles and carnage were wonderfully shot combining the feeling of ridiculousness with the feel of grandeur which was needed.
>>>Soundtrack<<< Most of the music in this film is used to get viewers laughing whether it be Stiller singing to Eye of the Tiger of giant dinosaurs and Romans dancing to Tequila although I find it odd to note that English Boy Band McFly continue to make a name for themselves in the world of Film theme tunes with Friday Nite the anthem featured in A night at the Museum.
>>>My final thoughts<<< This is a great rainy Sunday afternoon film for the whole family to enjoy. This is a fail safe formula of easy comedy mixed with action and adventure. Throw in an incredible ensemble cast a few fight scenes, a car chase and even the hint of a little bit of romance and you are on to a guaranteed blockbuster success and with good enough reason. It may not challenge, but it will definitely entertain.
>>>I bet you didn’t know…<<< >Ben Stiller was nominated for a Best Comedic Performance award at this years MTV Movie awards
>The American Museum of Natural History saw patronage levels rise by 20% following this movie's opening.
>Good friends Stiller and Wilson struggled to co-ordinate schedules so for much of filming, Stiller played his scenes to a toothpick with Owen doing his scenes at a later date.
>A stuntman playing one of the cowboys broke vertebrae in his neck during filming
>Owen Wilson’s character was originally meant to be no more than a cameo but test audience responded so well to the character it was developed further.
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Jun 5th, 2007
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