Dan Owen reviews
Night at the Museum
This Christmas, it won't be a silent night.
- Cert:
- Running time: 108 minutes
- Year: 2006
- Released: 26th December 2006
- Widescreen Ratio: 1.85:1
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Rating: 6/10
Director:
(Big Fat Liar, Cheaper by the Dozen, Just Married, A Night at the Museum, The Pink Panther (2006))
Producers:
Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Bob Ducsay and Shawn Levy
Screenplay:
Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon
(based on the book by Milan Trenc)
Music:
Cast:
Larry Daley: Ben Stiller
Cecil: Dick Van Dyke
Gus: Mickey Rooney
Nick Daley: Jake Cherry
Reginald: Bill Cobbs
Dr McPhee: Ricky Gervais
Rebecca: Carla Gugino
Sacajawea: Mizuo Peck
Teddy Roosevelt: Robin Williams
Erica Daley: Kim Raver
Attila The Hun: Patrick Gallagher
Octavius: Steve Coogan
Jedediah: Owen Wilson (uncredited)
Director Shawn Levy has quickly gathered a reputation as an uninspired filmmaker
whose main success was lazy Steve Martin comedy Cheaper By The Dozen
(2003).
Martin went on to star in Levy's The Pink Panther remake (2006), a film
so awful it would ordinarily spell the end of someone's career, but Levy is
back for one last stab. And, truth be told, he's probably kept the circling
sharks at bay...
Ben Stiller stars as Larry Daley, an estranged father who takes a job
as a museum night-watchman in order to prove his commitment to his young son
Nick. Soon after being handed the reigns by the three older men he's replacing,
Larry soon discovers the museum's remarkable secret... all the exhibits come
to life at night!
What follows is an array of visual effects: an impressive T-Rex skeleton,
legions of tiny Romans fighting tiny cowboys, a misbehaving monkey, three
Neanderthals, some Vikings, various African predators and historical
celebrities such as Roosevelt, Sacajawea, Attila the Hun and Columbus.
The script by Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon is formulaic at best. The three
act structure is neatly divided into three nights at the museum and there
isn't much invention in translating Milan Trenc's source novel. That said,
the movie does offer a few late surprises that manages to boost Night At
The Museum just when it begins to lose its sense of magic.
The cast are all on solid form. Stiller is always fun to watch, even if he's
just peddling his There's Something About Mary character for the umpteenth
time. While clearly on autopilot, Stiller interacts with the CGI extremely
well and his performance is never upstaged by all the eye candy.
Carla Gugino is criminally wasted as Rebecca, a museum creator who
appears to be Stiller's love interest, but just isn't. For some reason,
despite the writers' adherence to convention everywhere else, they totally
snub a romance between Gugino and Stiller and then fumble the father/son
relationship that seemed to be the point of the film judging by the opening
10 minutes.
Most of the supporting actors involved give good performances, particularly
Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney as ex-security guards, with Van
Dyke in particular reminding audiences that the star of Mary Poppins has lost
none of his charm. Robin Williams is excellent as Teddy Roosevelt, in
a role that's easily his best mainstream performance in years, while Owen
Wilson and Steve Coogan steal the show as a rival cowboy and Roman.
Unfortunately, Ricky Gervais wastes his role as the museum director, in
a small role that's unfunny and awkward. Family comedy is clearly not suited
to his underplayed and faltering style. Kim Raver (Audrey in TV's 24)
is great as Larry's ex-wife, but her character is totally forgotten after the
opening moments and doesn't resurface.
Once the museum explodes to life the plot focus entirely on set-pieces and
the struggles Larry faces with this situation -- both with animated exhibits
and some human villains. It ignores everything else in its attempt to
entertain and this lack of attention to the characters ultimately cripples
the film. That said, there are some modest history lessons tucked away in the
script and the message that "museums are fun" does get through.
In summation, Night At The Museum is easily Shawn Levy's most successful
film yet (despite a flawed script) and a huge leap in quality from The Pink
Panther. Levy is clearly enjoying himself with all the visual mayhem and
everything culminates in a satisfying chase sequence. There's plenty for
audiences to enjoy and the movie should satisfy young audiences in particular,
but anyone over 12 will find it forgettable entertainment that should have
been much sharper.
If only greater care had been taken with the character development and
relationships, Night At The Museum would have delivered a real punch.
As it stands, this is decent entertainment for young children, but nothing
remarkable. The effects and winning performances from Stiller, Van Dyke,
Williams, Wilson and Coogan make it a palatable experience, but Night At
The Museum is clearly a film that needed more time at the drawing board.
Review copyright © Dan Owen, 2007.
E-mail Dan Owen
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