Night at the Museum

Review by Loc

Oh, how the holidays have come and gone. Oh, how the pleasant euphoria of brisk winter air has turned into cursing the blinding cold-snap we face. How quickly we forget that winter-time is fun time, back to business as usual come January. But, sometime the holiday movies carry over into the new year, avoiding the proverbial tossing out like used gift wrap. Ben Stiller’s goofy family flick is one of these movies, a holiday comedy that managed to remain popular even after the trees and candles have vanished from site. Quick hit: Night at the Museum, that’s when the entertainment comes back to life.

Ok, bad play on words. The movie spouts of the often used phrase, “the museum is where history comes to life,” and I tried to make a funny, boo on me. And boo on you for not laughing. All comedic critiquing aside, Night at the Museum is a fun-filled movie. It deftly presents the cookie-cutter scenario of poor schlub in unbridled chaos and offers an easy romp through the festivities. One of the greatest accomplishments of this film is its ability to avoid the overdrawn, obligatory sappy scenes where dad-and-son find newfound respect for one another. Or better yet, substitute the familial pairing with any you like: mother/daughter, warring siblings, grandparents/grand children, it really doesn’t matter, Night at the Museum doesn’t waste its time with it.

In fact, it barely wastes its time with a fully developed plot. Sure, you get the opening where Ben Stiller finds himself at a new job and the amazing museum overwhelms him, then you have the time as he settles into the environment, followed by the chaotic upheaval caused by a sinister plan, all to be resolved through the resourcefulness and cooperative efforts of everyone involved. That’s the cookie cutter part. The non-cookie cutter is the fact that this movie doesn’t attempt to hide behind the veil of a well-scripted story, it just presents fun, adventure-filled scenes and let’s you enjoy it. Along the way, you have bits of story that provide forward movement, but it never tricks itself into thinking it’s a story-driven flick with great visuals. No no no, it’s a spectacle, come on down and watch if you want.

For the museum bits, the visuals are mostly fun. Trampling T-rex bones, miniature Owen Wilson fighting with the neighboring micro-Romans, Attila the Hun offering some miscommunication comedy, some caveman goofiness, and of course a mischievous monkey to ice the cake. All fun stuff even if the special effects aren’t groundbreaking. But, do you really need to have Gollum rolling around in every flick? This is one of those films where special effects add to the movie instead of taking center stage.

After reading through the review, you might think there’s a real big chunk of plot missing from this flick. But in actuality, this is the definition of escapism at its absolute best. No one should come into this flick wanting anything more than to be entertained. Which is what Night at the Museum understands so well. Yes, the plot is simple. Yes, characters are far from fully realized. However, keep in mind one thing: this movie is about living museum replicas! The need to understand Ben Stiller’s motivation never crossed my mind, and it probably never crossed his either.

Overall, Night at the Museum is great fun when you need that escapist movie. It’s better than similar fare because it never tries to play itself up as more than that. Is there a nice family message in there? Sure. Does it take over the last half of the movie and start preaching to the audience? Nope, never does. It’s not too high on the adult comedy winks, nothing like Shrek offers up. But it does sneak in a couple little snarky jokes that you might get a kick out of it you’re older than 8. Pay special attention to Ricky Gervais, the man who created the original BBC The Office television series. He’s a bumbling museum director, but his delivery is definitely aimed at the subtlety stupid that a grown-up can enjoy. Out of 400 museum attractions, Night at the Museum brings 300 to life. Good fun.