Larry Daley is a bit of a loser when it comes to finding a job. He has been through so many that his ex-partner is reluctant to let their son stay with him again until he has found some stability. As a last resort, Larry manages to get a job as a night security officer in the Museum of Natural History. On his first night in the job, he is horrified when the museum exhibits come alive, from the huge dinsosaur skeleton to the tiny toy soldiers. The statue of Theodore Roosevelt explains that ever since an Egyptian tablet was brought into the museum, the artefacts have come to life at night, unbeknownst to all but the security guards. Reluctant to give up the job and disappoint his son, Larry soldiers on until one night, the former security guards break into the museum, and steal the Egyptian tablet, putting everyone and everything in the museum into danger. Larry is forced to try and get the exhibits to stop fighting each other and work together to overcome the security guards. Will he be successful? And will he make his son proud of him?
I pretty much knew what to expect
from this film, having read a number of reviews and because I'm familiar with Ben Stiller's brand of slapstick comedy. As Larry, Stiller has the comic timing and face pulling off pat - he has done it in so many other films in exactly the same way. Despite this, he yet again manages to pull the role off. I really would have expected to be fed up with him by now, but I have to admit he is good at what he does and I found myself laughing again and again as he hammed his way through the film.
I was delighted to see Dick Van Dyke as one of the old security guards, in a performance that reminded me very much of his role as Bert in Mary Poppins in its exuberance, thankfully without the dodgy British accent. There is something comforting about his face that always cheers me up and he plays his role as a two-faced criminal very well. He is ably helped in his dastardly doings by Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs.
This film is packed full of big names and I can't write this review without mentioning Ricky Gervais, who plays museum curator Dr McPhee, Robin Williams who plays Teddy Roosevelt, and Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, who are soldiers. None of them are exactly breaking new ground here - all have played similar characters before, but with their acting skills and a great dialogue, they do add a touch of class to the film and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them all.
The storyline reminded me of Mannequin, a film about a mannequin (strangely enough) who comes to life. The special effects in Mannequin were pretty good for the time it was made (back in the eighties), but it is obvious from Night at the Museum just how technology has improved since then. The coming alive of all the exhibits in the museum is done so well that I could almost have believed that it was real. The dinosaur skeleton was amazing - in one scene we see it chasing a stick that Larry throws for it, and it was exactly like a dog. Absolutely fantastic and full marks to the team that put all this together.
Writers Robert Garant and Thomas Lennon have done a great job of the screenplay. A good part of the success of the film is down to Ben Stiller and his colleagues who would probably make me laugh whatever they were saying. Nevertheless, there are some great lines in the film. There is no point in quoting them here - they have to be seen in the context of the film - so you'll have to trust me on that one.
There are a huge amount of characters in this film and it could easily have got out of hand, becoming a blur of images. However, I think the director Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen and The Pink Panther) has done a good job of controlling the mass of characters, with Ben Stiller very much at the helm. This worked well and kept the pace ticking along without too much going on at any one time.
This is a film aimed at children, but the humour is such that it can be enjoyed by light-hearted adults. I certainly enjoyed it, despite not having any children to watch it with. The fact that it is snowing in the film makes it seem very Christmasy and exactly the right type of film to watch at this time of year. If you don't like Ben Stiller or Robin Williams and the type of comedy that they specialise in, you are probably not going to like Night at the Museum. But I think most people will find something in the film that they like, provided they are not expecting something Oscar-worthy. Recommended for all the family.
I watched a rental copy of the film which didn't have any extras, so am therefore reviewing the film only. The DVD is available from play.com for £6.99 for the one disc version, and £15.99 for the two disc special edition.
Classification: PG
Running time: 108 minutes
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Advantages: Good actors, something for all the family, fun storyline Disadvantages: not exactly entirely factually correct (regarding the exhibits, so I hear)
![Night At The Museum (2 Disc Special Edition) [2006] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78098156.jpg "Night At The Museum (2 Disc Special Edition) [2006] [DVD]")
Nov 23rd, 2007
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