“Night at the Museum” (2006)

Night at the Museum

Grade: B-

Going to the actual Museum of Natural History — or any science and history museum in your locality — is strongly encouraged by Colin’s Review and will be far more fun and rewarding than watching this Ben Stiller comedy. A few more notes on Night at the Museum:

Directing :

I enjoy the sepia-tinged saturation and autumnal colors of the outdoor sequences, and I must admit that the special effects are quite realistic. Canadian director Shawn Levy is a proud practitioner of the inoffensive family comedy (his previous efforts include Big Fat Liar, Cheaper by the Dozen and The Pink Panther), and Night at the Museum will get good laughs from the pre-teens in the audience. The film is entertaining because it doesn’t require you to think. However, that kinda makes the movie anti-museums, huh?

Acting:

Along with Stiller, Night at the Museum is packed with stars, such as Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Ricky Gervais, Paul Rudd, Robin Williams, Rami Malek, Owen Wilson and Crystal the Monkey. In a sense, they all do a good job playing themselves. But because the cast is so big, they all need to be at their most hysterical and over-the-top to stand out. This is a loud movie.

Writing:

The screenplay by Reno 911! alums Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, based on the children’s book of the same name, is surprisingly unimaginative. Museum exhibits come to life, but they’re just exhibits after all, not the real figures they personify, so Garant and Lennon don’t really have to do any research. Night at the Museum is mostly just a showcase for CGI rather than a history lesson with any value. There is simultaneously too much going on and not enough, which means it’s hard to really care about anything at all. A few good jokes can’t hide the lack of depth and emotion.

Music:

The score by Alan Silvestri is unmemorable yet functional. Nothing to hear here, folks, move along.

Ending (SPOILERS):

Larry Daley (Stiller) gets his happily-ever-after, yet the fact that Night at the Museum has no educational value is truly concerning. The film rewrites history instead, with interesting characters like Attila the Hun, Sacagawea and Teddy Roosevelt merely used as plot devices. Even more concerning: are we to assume that the final scene devolves into a bacchanalian orgy? As far as I know, we don’t receive any answers in the sequels.

“There’s a storm coming.” — Larry Daley

Why Night at the Museum gets a B-:

Ben Stiller is always good for a few laughs, but this PG special effects fest needs a little more depth if it wants to captivate anyone above the age of 11.

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