Ben Stiller is Larry Daley, a guy between jobs, in the new film Night At the Museum. He hasn't had a lot of success in regards to holding down a career, and that could translate very negatively in his private life. His ex-wife doesn't feel that he is a good role model for their son, and demands that he get steady employment if he wants anything to do with his upbringing. Willing to try anything, Larry applies at a museum that is hiring for a new person. Though he is unaware, the position turns out to be a head security guard for the night shift. The museum has been struggling recently, and is moving from three guards down to one, and it seems that Larry might have only been the only applicant. The outgoing guards are pretty vague on what his duties are going to be, but on the first night he quickly realizes what he is in for.

As soon as darkness falls, Larry starts to have fun in the halls of the museum, but quickly finds himself falling asleep behind the front desk. When he awakes, the giant assembled statue of Tyrannosaurus bones has vanished. Looking around he doesn't figure out what happened until he looks down a long hallway and sees that the dinosaur is taking a drink of water from a fountain. He has no idea what to do, but quickly comes to the realization that everything in the museum has come to life. This includes the animals, the mannequins on display, and the miniatures depicting ancient cultures. It seems that this chaos can never be brought under control as all of the inhabitants start fighting with each other, and Larry finds himself caught between all of it during this Night at the Museum.

There are a lot of components within this film that gear it towards a younger audience, and a brand of humor that is intended for a specific audience. This is a character that we have seen from Ben Stiller many times before, and the relationship he has with his son is just thrown into the mix to bring a familial feel to some of the earlier segments of the story. The subplot doesn't ever really seem to work, and some of the emotions exuded on screen are way too forced, ending in something less than believable for most viewers. Sure we can understand the tone of possible disappointment, but none of acting on screen seemed "real." The humanizing of the characters may have been deemed necessary for later scenes to work at all, but I think that this was really a special effects driven film that failed to address the fact that they needed a story to go along with the museum coming to life.

Some of the supporting characters, such as Robin Williams in the part of Teddy Roosevelt, and Owen Wilson as a cowboy from the railroad days of the old-west were quite funny at times. When they have lines to work with, they are both entertaining, and at times fun, but their scenes are so far in-between that they fall into the backdrop of the film. The afore mentioned instances aren’t the only places where the film falters though, as believability and continuity are completely thrown out the window. Sure the plot needs you to understand that everything is coming to life for a reason, but even the rules with which they explain the occurrences are thrown out the window in order for the story to carry out its ending. Taking a step back from what I feel is a failed film for people 18 and above, I do see why some movie-goers would not only like this film, but its brand of comedy and quick pace. For that reason, and for that reason only, I give it my recommendation, but with the problematic conclusion that this is a below average film.










Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD