bkoganbing
Night At The Museum has Ben Stiller in a cash flow problem. One get rich quick
scheme after another has fallen through and he needs a job just so he can keep
joint custody of his son Jake Cherry. In a nice scene at the Employment office
where Ben's real life mom Anne Meara he lands a job as the night watchman at
the Museum Of Natural History. The job comes with a few hidden perks. Like since 1953 the exhibits come alive in the evening hours. All as a result of a
tablet from ancient Egypt with a spell that was there. Acting as Empresario of
the exhibits is Robin Williams as President Theodore Roosevelt who was instrumental in founding the museum.But previous night guards Bill Cobbs, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Van Dyke know
about the nightlife and the tablet and they want it for themselves.I think the special effects kind of overwhelm the story though it's a good one.
Stiller is fine as your every man Walter MItty like dreamer. Small wonder he
wound up playing Walter Mitty later on.The film is a lot of fun and with a cast like this it would be a shame for the whole family to miss it.
Sean Lamberger
Night watchman Ben Stiller takes slapstick abuse from an entourage of famous figures in New York's museum of natural history. There's a superficial subplot about an ancient tablet, responsible for the wax statues and figurines coming to life every night, but the film isn't all that concerned with making sense of it and neither am I. So we're basically left with a hundred minutes of easy sight gags, base caricatures and flashy effects, mixed with overplayed reaction shots and hand-rubbing evil villains. Oh, and there's an empty dash of sappy divorced father / distanced son bonding mush. I get it, this is a broad family comedy and I can't expect much. My six-year-old boys enjoyed it, and have requested it again since, so it hits the target audience. Plus it merits points for making a trip to the museum and a bit of archival fact-finding seem like less of a chore to younger viewers, so, yay education. Robin Williams is enjoyable as a self-conscious Teddy Roosevelt statue, and Mickey Rooney is hilarious in a set of fiery, brief guest spots, but that's about all that merits remembering. I'm in no hurry to sit through it again.
adonis98-743-186503
A newly recruited night security guard at the Museum of Natural History discovers that an ancient curse causes the animals and exhibits on display to come to life and wreak havoc. Night at the Museum is the first of the 3 films in the Museum Trilogy and stars Ben Stiller and Robin Williams and although the film received mostly mixed reviews i still found it to be very entertaining and relaxing and although the humor is for sure silly it's a film that was mostly made for kids and their parents and if you know what you're getting into you are going to enjoy this movie a lot plus all the actors did a great job with the material that was given to them and the special effects looked pretty believable and kids will definitely love this movie. (8/10)
LeonLouisRicci
Laughing in the Face of the Critics, This Very Light-Hearted Family Comedy Managed to Come In as the Second Highest Grossing Film of the Year and Spawned Two Sequels So Far.Ben Stiller is the Catalyst to All of the Museum Mayhem and He Does Yeoman Work Helped Along by a Well Known Supporting Cast Featuring Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Carla Gugino, and Ricky Gervais. Small Parts Go to Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney.The Highlights of the Movie are Really the Clever Coming to Life Displays (only at night) of the Many and Varied Historical Representations. It's Mostly Dumbed Down and Slapstick is the Flavor of the Day. Hardly an Inspiration for Inspiring Young Eggheads or Curious Children in General.But, the "Come-On" Seemed to Have Worked. The Real Museum in NYC Found its Attendance Up 20% During its Run. Mostly Going for Cheap Laughs the Movie is Shallow Stuff Considering the Educational Template.However, it Can Be a Fun Time for Families and is One of Those that is Entertaining Enough and Could Easily Be Given a Pass for its Brainless Script. Good Enough to Recommend and its PG Rating is Rare for Non-Animated Movies These Days.
AD
