Review: Night At The Museum

Review: Night At The Museum (Shawn Levy, 2006, USA)

So, three choices for films to see on my day off. Flags Of Our Fathers... can't be bothered to be honest, reviews I've read suggest I'll wait for the DVD. Perfume... Go see it next week with Neil, Helly and hopefully Donna during my semi-regular "cinema day" in a double bill with Jew-hater Gibson's Apocalypto (Expect reviews of both next week). Third... Night At The Museum, very middling reviews, but trailers seemed fun enough and a lot of great comic talent was featured, seemed like a good choice. Was it?

Larry (Ben Stiller) is a guy who can't commit to a job but in a last ditch attempt to stay in contact with his son (Jake Cherry) takes a job as a night watchman at the Museum of Natural History in New York. When he fins out that the job involves a lot more than playing with the tannoy and sleeping, he has to choose what kind of a man he really is...

The big christmas film from Fox this year is an odd film. It feels like Jumanji (complete with Robin Williams) filled with more comic talent than can possibly share one film. Many of the stars of this film, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan and arguably, Ricky Gervais, could all headline their own film and pull it off with aplomb. This film combines all of them and somehow makes it work. All the comic stars seem to have their moments (perhaps with the exception of Dick Van Dyke, who seemed slightly bored by it all. Mickey Rooney in particular made me giggle like a child. The script itself is pretty unoriginal and bland but the perfomances elevate it far above its station. The action is fairly unmemorable also but I think children would liek it. This film appeals to all ages but in different ways. Kids would come for the action, the "insiprational" plot, and the silly monkey slapstick (although the slap-fight was priceless). Adults will enjoy the perfomances of the talent on display, all getting their moments to shine. In all, a likeably daft hybrid of family blockbuster and more adult comedy, which I look forward to seeing again. Must see the Brockback Mountain gag again to, I missed it first time (Thanks to Neil and Chris for pointing it out). Back hopefully tomorrow, but defo before the weekend...