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Larry Daley is at loose ends. In fact, it appears as
if he has been drifting for years, much to the concern of
his now ex-wife, Erica, and disappointed son, Nick. After
the failure of his invention, The Snapper... evidently a
significant portion of the population have difficulty snapping
and preferred The Clapper, Larry has been in and out of
so many jobs that Nick now lives in fear of all the constant
changes in his father's life. Determined not to loose the
respect of his son, Larry wheedles a job out of the reluctant
and unsympathetic lady at the job employment agency, and
begins work at the Museum of Natural History as the night
watchman.****
Cecil, Gus and Reginald are the three aging and eccentric
guards who are being downsized in favor of young Larry.
Cecil seems to take it all in stride though and gives him
a quick run down of the basics along with a set of bizarre
written instructions and some vague warnings. All of which
leaves the aimless Larry even more unprepared for the fact
that each and every exhibit in the museum comes to life
between the hours of sunset and dawn. Move over Jumanji,
there's a new game in town! Will Larry hang on to this chaotic
and oft times dangerous job? To make matters worse, when
the magical Tablet of Akmenreh that gives life to the museums
boisterous exhibits goes missing, life as we've come to
know it at the museum may be at an end forever! Will Larry
ever find a way to bring order and tranquility to the after
hours of the museum, or win out over those who are conspiring
against him? Will he ever get the leaders from the Old West
and Ancient Rome dioramas to stop fighting? Can he win over
the suspicious and volatile Attila the Hun and keep the
Huns from literally pulling him apart before he finds an
answer to all this chaos? Can Larry finally prove his mettle
to his son, or even more importantly, to himself? "I'm made
of wax," Teddy Roosevelt asks Larry at his most precarious
moment, "What are you made of?"****
Being a new film, I don't want to reveal too much of
the plot in this review. I can say without hesitation that
this was the greatest family action film since Jumanji.
Ben Stiller as our dubious hero, Larry, was a perfect blend
of amiable, amusing and slapdash. Perhaps the greatest asset
of "Night at the Museum" besides an excellent script, is
an absolutely brilliant supporting cast. Dick Van Dyke,
Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs as the former night guards
were an inspired trio that worked very well together. I
have to say that I was utterly delighted to see Mr. Van
Dyke in yet another fine work geared towards a family audience,
and was definitely satiated with his role as Cecil although
it turns out to be more of a departure from his traditional
roles in family films than I had at first assumed. ****
Dr. McPhee, played by Ricky Gervais who is perhaps best
known for his role as David Brent in "The Office", is in
charge of the museum but he is the only person in the film
who achieves even more ambiguity than Larry! He provides
several very funny moments in this film, as does the relatively
small supporting role of Don, played by a "Clueless" Paul
Rudd; the "Batman of stockbrokers" and Erica's fiancee.
Mizuo Peck portrayed a wonderfully serene, beautiful and
competent Sacajawea who happens to be one of my favorite
women in history. I look forward to seeing her in future
roles based on her performance here. Steve Coogan and Owen
Wilson as Octavius and Jedediah, the leaders from the Old
West and Ancient Rome dioramas, were very appealing and
drew a lot of reaction from the audience. They do have a
bit of an over-the-top moment late in the film, but this
is at heart a family film geared toward a younger audience...
and by this time even I was willing to overlook this "tiny"
step outside the bounds of good acting. ****
Rami Malek, who portrayed King Ahkmenreh, was a good
casting choice and this relatively new actor could go far
given half an opportunity. Robin Williams could hardly disappoint
anyone going to view a family film, and his Teddy Roosevelt
is exuberant and utterly charming. I can't imagine a better
choice for this occasionally shy presidential waxen knight,
Larry's friend and museum helpmate. Perhaps my favorite
of all the supporting roles though was Attila the Hun, played
by Patrick Gallagher. This Canadian-born actor spends the
whole film speaking in his own language but manages to convey
worlds through posture, expression and inflection. He gave
heart and humanity to this fearsome Scourge of God.****
Together, this cast and crew delivers a wonderful and
well-rounded film that is sure to appeal to audiences of
all ages. Engaging with kernels of wisdom, Ben Garant and
Thomas Lennon did a truly amazing job of translating Milan
Trenc's children's book into a workable, well-balanced and
highly entertaining screenplay. Shawn Levy's direction of
Night at the Museum surely played it's part as well, as
you simply cannot have a film this seamless without a solid
director. The soundtrack never overpowered the film, instead
complimenting it very well in both it's comedic and more
serious moments, which is exactly what a good soundtrack
should do. ****
Finally, the costuming and sets themselves were a perfect
setting for the actors to place their gem-like performances
into; as both of these subtle elements are varied and vital,
if either had been off-balance or seriously flawed it certainly
would have detracted from the overall success and charm
of this film.
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