Screenwriter: Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon; based on the kids’ book by Milan Trenc
Museums are elaborate time capsules stocked with information that tell us humans where we’ve been, what we’ve endured to get to the present day and, in some cases, how to avoid the past mistakes in the future. But, there are times when a museum becomes a time machine. When, you might ask? At night, of course, when most magical stories like this happen.
Besides a playful dinosaur skeleton, raucous Huns and cavemen, competitive cowboys and roman soldiers, an impish primate, and Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), Night at the Museum unfortunately also features a familiar storyline and predictable dialogue.
Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a divorced dad and wanna-be inventor/entrepreneur who’s having trouble finding his true calling in life (read: he's having trouble finding a job he likes). The pressure is magnified when Larry’s only son, Nick (Jake Cherry), begins to emulate his bond-trader stepfather.
Afraid of disappointing his son and losing visitation privileges, Larry accepts a mysterious job as the night watchmen at the Museum of Natural History, taking over for three retirees: Cecil (Dick Van Dyke), Gus (Mickey Rooney!) and Reginald (Bill Cobbs). But Larry’s responsibilities may be more than he can handle when he discovers that the museum’s exhibits come to life at night. And adventures ensue!
What I liked: The special effects; Ricky Gervais is funny as the museum curator/director; good way to spend some quality time with the family
What I didn’t: The back-story, predictable dialogue, and canned humor
Madeleine says: Matinee
What do you say?
I'm so anxious to see this one. Glad to hear you liked it.
Posted by: magickat | January 27, 2007 at 01:01 PM