Night at the Museum

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens in Brooklyn with Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) going to his car to discover it has a boot on the tire. He then runs to his friend to ask where his son Nick (Jake Cherry) is. His friend tells him that his ex-wife's new boyfriend took him home. Larry returns to his ex-wife's house only to reveal that he may get evicted soon and move to Queens. He then takes Nick to play ice hockey. After the game is over, they walk in the park and Nick reveals that he doesn't want to be a hockey player anymore, but a bond trader like his mother's boyfriend. Nick asks if he is really moving again and Larry, feeling bad about Nick, is determined to get a new job.Cut to Larry at a job office. He is being interviewed by a woman who could possibly give him a job somewhere. She tells Larry that she has never seen a resume like his. He thanks her, only to discover that it wasn't a compliment. They discuss different things about his resume including his invention, the "snapper," which is a spin-off of the clapper for lights. She is about to dismiss him when he explains to her how much he really needs a job. After a small pause, she sighs and gives him the address to the Museum of Natural History, saying that everybody she sent over there got turned down, but he "might get lucky."Cut to Larry walking in the Museum of Natural History. He walks up to the desk clerk to ask for a man named Cecil (Dick Van Dyke). She indicates that Cecil should be in his office and introduces herself as Rebecca (Carla Gugino). She shows Larry around the room a bit before Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais) interrupts to exclaim that children are touching the exhibits. Rebecca goes on with her work while Larry proceeds to Cecil's office.Larry knocks on the door of the security office and Cecil answers, letting him in. He explains to Larry that the museum is losing money and they are going to fire him and his two co-workers Gus (Mickey Rooney) and Reginald (Bill Cobbs) and that they are looking for one new guard to replace them. Larry is unsure he should take the job since they are night guards and he doesn't like the idea of staying up all night in a museum. He eventually agrees and Cecil tells him to go wait outside and he will catch up with him to show him around the museum. After Larry leaves, Reginald asks Cecil if he thinks "he is the one." Cecil responds by saying, "Oh yeah, he's the one."He begins by showing Larry the diorama room with the Mayan culture, the Roman culture, and the Western culture. After Larry leaves the room, he cannot find Cecil, he calls his name a few times and we see a figure following him. He taps Larry's shoulder and Larry screams. The figure takes off his mask to reveal Cecil dressed in Indian clothing. Cecil laughs because he scared Larry but reminds him not to mess with anything. Moving on, Cecil shows him Attila the Hun, the Easter Island Head, and the Hall of African Mammals. Larry notices the monkey and Cecil says that they call the monkey Dexter. After they leave that room, they enter the Pharaoh's Chamber, and Cecil shows Larry the Pharaoh's tomb and the tablet of Ahkmenrah, which he reveals is 24 karat gold.Larry is about to start his first day of work and the three guards are there to give him what he needs. Cecil gives him his keys to lock the gates and his flashlight. He also pulls out an instruction manual and gives it to Larry. Cecil tells him to turn a few lights on since it gets a little spooky in there. He also tells him in a very serious tone not to let anything in or out. Larry is confused by this but goes on working. He turns on the lights and sits at the front desk, blowing into the telephone which echos his voice throughout the entire museum.After awhile, he falls asleep, but wakes up by falling out of his chair. He gets up and walks across the room to find that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is missing. He calls out Cecil's name thinking that it is Cecil pulling another prank on him. When he hears something down the hall, he clicks on the flashlight to find the dinosaur drinking from the water fountain. In shock, Larry drops the flashlight, the dinosaur hears this and stops drinking. He roars and runs towards Larry, who tries to run and hide by ducking under the front desk. He calls Cecil, who tells him to read the instructions and hangs up. The dinosaur picks up the desk with it's mouth and throws it across the room. Larry pulls out the instruction manual and reads the first instruction which is to "Throw the bone." Larry is confused until a large rib bone drops in front of him and Larry picks it up and hurls it across the room. Larry then tries to run out, but the T-Rex appears in front of him, drops the bone, and pushes it to Larry, suggesting he wants it to be thrown again. Larry realizes that the dinosaur wants to play fetch and he throws the bone again. This time the T-Rex's tail hits Larry and throws him onto the stairs. Larry then flees the room.As Larry is running, he passes by Cavemen who are trying to create fire. He runs into the Easter Island Head who calls him Dum-Dum and that Larry is supposed to bring him "gum-gum." The head warns Larry to run as Attila the Hun shows up and chases Larry into the elevator. Larry goes into the room where Sacagawea is on display and he asks her what is going on. Being behind the glass, she cannot hear him. Larry falls backwards and a Civil War soldier points a gun over Larry's neck and fires at other soldiers. Larry manages to escape unharmed.Larry goes up the elevator into the Hall of African Mammals. He reads the next instruction which is to lock up the lions, "or they'll eat you". He drops the manual and it sails into the middle of the room, right in front of the lions. Larry runs for the manual, quickly runs through the trees and closes the gate behid him. He reads the next instruction which is to double check his belt because the monkey probably stole his keys. He checks and his keys are missing. He looks up to see Dexter holding his keys. As Larry tries to get them back, Dexter bites his nose and pees on him. Dexter then steals the instruction manual and rips it in half. Furious, Larry goes and sits in the diorama room. He then sees small Mayan warriors and they start shooting small arrows into his hand. Larry runs away in pain.Larry sees the Western exhibit and stands in front of it. He hears a noise below him and looks down to see that some small western people have tied his feet together. He turns around, but they push him off his feet onto the train tracks in the exhibit. Just then we see Jedediah (Owen Wilson) yelling at the cowboys to hog tie him. The cowboys throw ropes over his body and secure them tightly, holding Larry down on the train tracks (actually, only his head rests on the tracks). They reveal that they are tired of being locked up in the exhibit every night and Jedediah gives the order to start the train. Larry begs Jed to stop the train, but Jed refuses. The train hits Larry in the head, but derails without doing much damage. Larry breaks out of the ropes and gets up.We see an army of small Roman soldiers ready to attack Larry. Jedediah reveals the leader to be Octavius (Steve Coogan). He tells the army to unleash hell, and they start shooting fireballs at Larry. He runs away and is rescued by Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams). Jedediah yells to him that Teddy will not always be there to protect him and they ride away on his horse. When they stop in the main room, Larry asks him why everything is alive and Teddy takes him to the Pharaoh's Chamber. We see the Pharaoh struggling in his sarcophagus and Teddy yells that he's not getting out. He points to the tablet and tells Larry that the tablet is why everything comes alive at night. He tells Larry that it is his job to make sure that nothing gets out of the museum, otherwise they will turn to dust if the sun comes up while they are outside. Teddy helps Larry get everyone together and we see Teddy staring through his binoculars at Sacagawea. When Larry asks why, Teddy just says that he is tracking. Larry is not sure that he will come back. Teddy tells him that some are born great, but others have greatness thrust upon them. Teddy goes back to his position in the museum and Larry starts to walk away. Jedediah pops out of Larry's pocket and threatens to shoot his gun at his eye. He shoots, but nothing comes out. Larry pulls him out of his pocket and takes him back to the diorama room, just as the sun rises, and everything goes back to the way it was.Cecil and the other security guards go into the museum and Larry jumps out and surprises them. He tells them that everything in the museum comes to life at night. Cecil explains that if they told him, he never would have believed them. Larry quits and exits the museum. On the museum steps, Larry encounters Nick on his way to school. Nick tells him that he loves that Larry works at the museum. Larry promises to give Nick a tour sometime. Now Larry must go back inside and get his job back. Dr. McPhee calls Larry to the diorama room to find that a Roman figure is in the stockades in the Western Culture diorama. Thinking that Larry did it, Dr. McPhee warns him not to try anything like that again. Larry runs back to Cecil and asks him if he has another instruction manual since Dexter ripped his apart. Cecil does not have another copy but advises Larry to read about history, that it would help. Larry sees Rebecca giving a tour to some kids and decides to join them. He laughs when Rebecca says that the monkey is known for it's "generous and loving nature". He calls her aside to ask her if Sacagawea was deaf (since she could not hear him the night before). Rebecca is annoyed by his interruptions and asks why he is following them. Larry says that he just has some questions and gets Rebecca to agree to meet him later for a cup of coffee to discuss history. Rebecca reveals that she is working on a dissertation about Sacagawea and admires her a lot.In the library, we see Larry reading books and searching on the computer for information about things in the museum. He discovers that Attila the Hun liked sorcery, and would tear the limbs of his enemies off. Back at the museum, Larry is about to get ready for his shift when Cecil and the other security guards come in to wish him good luck and to say goodbye. They are leaving the museum for the last time. Cecil asks Larry to walk them out, but Reginald stays behind. Cecil says it's because Reginald is very emotional. While Reginald lingers, he makes a clay mold of Larry's key. Larry goes off to begin his shift.Larry begins by ripping off one of the T-Rex's rib bones and attaching it to a remote controlled car to keep T-Rex entertained while chasing it. He goes to the Cavemen, still looking for ways to create fire, and throws them a lighter. He goes over to the Easter Island Head and gives him the 'gum-gum' that he asked for yesterday. He goes into the diorama room. He puts on a mit to protect himself from the arrows the Mayan people will throw while he closes the glass to their diorama. He moves to close the glass to the Roman Cuture diorama when he sees them breaking down their wall to expand. He moves over to the Western Culture diorama to see that Jedediah is giving the order to blow the mountain with dynamite. Larry tells him not to since all he will hit is a wall. Jed tells them to detonate it anyway, but only a little poof of smoke results. Larry asks them what they are doing and Jedediah responds by saying that they are working on Manifest Destiny. Larry, fed up, grabs Octavius and Jedediah and tells them that he is going to let both their cultures roam free if they promise to behave. They both promise and Larry exits the room. Larry then proceeds to the Hall of African Mammals and tells Dexter to go inside. Dexter goes into the room and Larry locks the door. Dexter thinks he stole the keys and holds up a set of baby keys. Larry locks the gate in triumph thinking he has outsmarted Dexter. He continues his rounds and finds Teddy looking at Sacagawea again. Larry advises Teddy to just go and say hello to her. Larry leaves, and Teddy goes up to the glass about to say hi to her, but walks away, too shy. Cut to Larry's office being broken into by an unknown figure; he opens Larry's desk and plants various artifacts from the museum, then leaves.Larry encounters Attila the Hun in the Teddy Roosevelt Rotunda. Attila moves to attack, but stops short when Larry tells him that he can show him some magic. Attila watches as Larry makes a bouquet of flowers appear, makes a coin disappear and reappear out of Attila's ear and makes a handkerchief disappear. However on the last trick he messes up, revealing part of the handkerchief sticking out of the fake thumb he is wearing. Attila discovers this and tells his Huns to grab Larry and start pulling his limbs apart. However, they are interrupted by an incoming elephant. Larry looks up and discovers that the animals have escaped from the "locked" Hall of African Mammals and we see Dexter holding Larry's keys. Larry chases after Dexter and they run into the diorama room where Larry sees the Romans and cowboys fighting. Meanwhile, Dexter uses the keys to open a window. Larry goes to Jedediah and Octavius fighting on a post and snaps at them to make them stop. They explain that they will never get along and they continue fighting. Larry sees Dexter again and chases after him only to find one of the cavemen on fire. He takes the fire extinguisher and sprays the exhibit with foam, smothering the fire. Larry then continues to chase Dexter. Meanwhile, one of the cavemen finds the open window and sees people outside around a bonfire. He leaps out the window to join them.Larry corners Dexter in one of the exhibits and tries to get the keys back. Dexter slaps him and they begin to get into a slap fight until Teddy stops them. Teddy gets the keys back by respectfully appealing to Dexter. Larry tells Teddy that he can take over; Larry has decided he's not coming back (again). Teddy tries to convince him to stick it out, but he is unsuccessful. Christopher Columbus points Larry to the open window. Larry runs to the window and sees a caveman outside and the sun rising. Larry runs to the front door to see the caveman coming back but too late; the sun comes up and the caveman turns to dust in the street. A street cleaner drives by and cleans his remains off the road.It is morning and Nick and two friends go to the museum thinking that they will get a free tour. Larry goes to clean up the foam residue from the caveman display, but Dr. McPhee fires Larry right in front of Nick and his friends. Nick and his friends leave without Larry seeing them. Larry runs after Dr. McPhee and convinces him to give him one more night. Back at his mother's apartment, Nick tells Larry that he was at the museum and saw him get fired. Larry tells Nick that he didn't get fired and tells him that he can go to work with him that night. At the start of his evening shift, Larry sees Rebecca and asks her how her dissertation is going. She says that she has given up because she will never know who Sacagawea really was. Larry thinks for awhile and decides to tell Rebecca the secret. Rebecca, thinking that Larry is making fun of her, leaves the museum.Nick arrives at the museum. Larry sits Nick down on the front desk and tells him that the dinosaur is about to come to life. It is the time things usually animate, but nothing comes to life. Nick is upset and thinks his dad is lying to him. Larry takes him to the Pharaoh's chamber to discover the tablet is missing. Larry runs to where the tablet should be and turns around to see that Nick is gone. He runs out and sees Nick going down the stairs to leave. Then they see a shadow of someone outside; they proceed to investigate. Nick finds a shopping cart containing the tablet and he removes the tablet. Cecil and the other security guards come out of the darkness and tell Nick to give them the tablet. Larry tells Nick to turn the middle square on the tablet, which will make everything come alive. Nick, conflicted about whom to believe, eventually turns the middle piece. The three guards prepare to fight. Larry tells Nick to take the tablet and run. Gus starts to run after him, but Larry stops him and gets knocked to the floor. Larry gets up, and Gus punches him twice. Cecil, kicks him to the floor again and explains how they loved working there. They explain that the tablet also gave them new life. When they found out they were going to get fired, they had to do something. They reveal that they planted the goods in his desk to frame him. They leave to find Nick while Gus delivers a piledriver on Larry's back, almost knocking him out.Meanwhile, Dexter opens the front door to the museum, letting everything out. Nick runs into the Pharaoh's Chamber and Cecil takes the tablet. Larry runs in and Cecil knocks him over, stealing his keys and locking him and Nick in the Chamber. Larry calls out for Teddy, who comes and introduces himself to Nick. Larry asks Teddy to get him out, but he declines, telling Larry that it is "his moment"; Teddy rides away. Larry turns around, and the giant Anubis statues are about to attack Larry and Nick. Larry manages to run through the statues' defense and opens the Pharaoh's Tomb. The Pharaoh orders the Anubis to stand down and unwraps himself. He introduces himself as King Ahkmenrah. The Anubis free them from the Chamber allowing the three to go to find the tablet.They find the entire museum battling one other in the Teddy Roosevelt Rotunda. Attila the Hun sees Larry across the Rotunda and runs to attack. Larry decides to meet force with force. They meet and yell at each other until Larry finds Attila's soft side and eventually gets Attila on his side. Larry then tries to get everyone's attention, but fails. The Easter Island Head then screams at everyone to be quiet and Larry is able to speak. He explains how the guards stole the tablet and gives everyone a task to get it back. He tells the Civil War soldiers to go around the Planetarium wing. He tells Columbus to take the Cavemen and go around to the reptiles section. He tells Jedediah and Octavius to go take care of Cecil's van. They refuse to work together at first, but Larry convinces them to go by saying that they aren't that different; they are both great leaders. He convinces everyone to work together and they proceed.Outside, Jedediah and Octavius take some of their people and go to flatten the tires on the van. The air pressure blows everybody off the air valve, except Jedediah and Octavius. Meanwhile, the Civil War soldiers catch Gus, and Columbus and the cavemen catch Reginald. Cecil, who is holding the tablet, gets to the van and drives away. Larry, Nick and Ahkmenrah go outside to find the van gone. Larry goes to get Sacagawea to help track Cecil. She finds that he crashed his car across the street and went back into the museum.Suddenly, Cecil appears out of nowhere with a team of horses and a carriage. He is about to run her over when Teddy appears and pushes her out of the way. Sacagawea is fine, but Teddy has been cut in half. Larry takes Teddy's horse and chases after Cecil while Sacagawea stays behind to help Teddy. Jedediah and Octavius also appear in the RC car with the bone still attached; they lead the T-Rex onto the road with Larry. Jedediah turns the car so that T-Rex will collide with Cecil, but the car spins out of control and flips behind a small hill, exploding with a puff of smoke.Larry rides next to Cecil and warns him to stop the horses or he will. Cecil explains how the horses are money carriers and were trained not to stop for anything but a secret word. Larry reveals the word to be Dakota and the horses stop, sending Cecil flying into the air. Larry grabs the tablet and takes Cecil to Attila the Hun. Attila takes Cecil back to the museum. Larry gives Ahkmenrah the tablet and he uses its powers to send everyone back to the musem. Larry also calls Rebecca and tells her to go to the museum.Everyone goes back to the museum and Larry and Ahkmenrah do a count to see if anyone is missing. Teddy comes back, having been fixed and Rebecca walks in. She sees Sacagawea and walks off with her, asking her questions. Larry and Teddy finish the count and Larry realizes that two people are missing, Jedediah and Octavius. He assumes they are dead until Nick tells him to look and they see them both struggling up the steps to the museum. Jedediah responds by saying, "You ain't getting rid of us that easy." They salute and proceed into the museum.Teddy says he will see Larry tomorrow night, but Larry is not sure that he will still be working there; the main hall is a mess from all the fighting. Morning comes and Larry is in Dr. McPhee's office watching several news reports of the incidents last night. Dr. McPhee fires Larry again. They both walk out and see that the museum is filled with people and extremely busy. A chastened Dr. McPhee gives Larry his job back by simply handing him his flashlight and keys. That night, Larry is at the museum and the "night crew" is partying in the Rotunda. We see everyone getting along and Nick is riding on T-Rex who is being guided by Jedediah and Octavius with their new toy sports car. Larry then flips his flashlight, puts it in his belt, and snaps his fingers to turn the light off-- he's completed a model "snapper" for himself.During the credits is a scene showing that Cecil, Gus and Reginald have been re-hired as custodians and janitors for the museum. It's not what they'd hoped for, but they make the most of it.

Tags: whimsical, fantasy, historical, bleak

Review:
Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Dick VanDyke, Mickey Roney, Bill Cobbs...I'm not a Stiller fan, but in this one he was really great, he steps out of his usual shtick to really anchor this movie.
I was impressed by the trailers and I got really pumped when I saw people like Stiller, Wilson, Robins, Rudd and more famous comedian actors like Gervais in it.The movie starts out slow but picks up once Stiller's character enters the museum.
Night at the Museum felt like a pattern to me, no funny parts to little giggles and then the movie would make you laugh so hard.All the famous faces really brought charm to the movie and I don't think it would have work well with anyone else.Night at the Museum is a fun movie worth seeing but not a movie you will be looking back on in 10 years time..
I hope you all reward the studio for putting out a true "family movie" for the holidays, so we'll see more in the future.It was good to see Dick Van Dyke, Andy Rooney and Bill Cobbs in light, comic roles, and Robin Williams in a solid supporting role.
The film has huge plot holes and probably hundreds of continuity errors but rampaging dinosaurs, goodish CGI and another athletic comic turn from Ben Stiller, together with the gorgeous Carla Gugino make this near perfect Xmas cinematic fair.The Museum of Natural History is suffering a downturn in visitor numbers and has to make cutbacks by way of night security men.
The film's premise that the various waxwork and skeleton inhabitants come to life at night due to the presence of a magical Egyptian golden tablet placed 50 years before is, of course, to suspend disbelief beyond anything else you'll be expected to this year - but anyone at a loss for an excuse to get the kids out of the house over the Christmas period could do a lot worse than spend just under a couple of hours at the multiplex to see what is a cross between Jumanji and the Indian in the Cupboard..
I had the pleasure of some pre-release tickets and took the whole family along to see this movie with no idea of what to expect.The movie started and got into the storyline of a divorced dad (played by Ben Stiller) who wants his son to be proud of him and his work but has been through a string of jobs without any success.
This is when the fun really starts and there's famous faces all over the place, including a great performance from Steve Coogan, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais and loads more playing such characters as Teddy Roosevelt, Attila The Hun etc It's a film that makes you laugh out loud in the cinema if you're a kid and I have to admit I did the same a few times.The film goes on for about an hour and three quarters but is jam packed of fun and special effects It's a magical family film - so if you got kids go and see it definitely.
That is the premise of this film, "A Night at The Museum." It is the simple story of a father, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) who has developed a strained relation with his son.
Also cinematography is amazing in some parts of the film and Alan Silvestri's music is great but in some scenes too big for the story.Ben Stiller act like he have always done.
I saw it on the big screen and I don't think it's even nearly as good on the DVD and small TV.7 of 10 with 7 reasons: - good idea - very entertaining - beautiful cinematography - good actors - beautiful beginning - good special effects - good music3 reasons why not 10 of 10: - only the last part of the film was good on every scale - not so great direction in some scenes - too dramatic, powerful music for some scenes.
The main dynamic of Stiller's character is setup for the base concept of having inanimate objects come to life and pull stupid pranks on an unsuspecting patsy.The CGI was decent but in this day and age that's not a huge compliment where every movie using CGI is practically flawless.Some of the better humor come from Van Dyke and Roonie, but there's not nearly enough to help this horribly written plot.Some better fun family fair suggestions would be Jumanji, The Last Mimzy, and any Pixar film.
In Night of the Museum, Ben Stiller plays Larry Daley, a divorced middle aged man who has gone through failure after failure, spending his life always attempting schemes to make it as something big, but never succeeding.
He bumbles, he fidgets, he trys his dorky thing, but he fails to show any emotional depth in the character or at all, he is completely bland in the role, and while he is not immediately dislikable, he is forgettable along with every aspect of the character's personal life in the film.The true highlights of Night at the Museum, and really its saving grace from being awful, are easily the toys, artifacts, and statues in the museum itself, brought to life absolutely splendidly with top notch CGI and visual effects.
The rest of the artifacts in the museum including a fossilized T-Rex, an Easter Island statue, an Attila the Hun brought to life, and some fire craving cave men, are all entertaining and fun to watch run wild.The film itself in particular, as mentioned, picks up a great amount steam and pace in the second half of the film, once it focuses on the artifacts' situation and the mission they end up taking, it seems to drop Stiller's character and focus and the pure fun.
It is really a pity that talents like Ben Stiller or Robin Williams lost their time in acting here, they could not save this film.
The film concerns about a divorced father(Ben Stiller)of his spouse(Kim Raver) and with a son,he's unemployed when gets a job at Museum of Natural History of New York City.He's assigned by veterans security agents(Dick Van Dyke,Mickey Rooney,Bill Cobbs) to night vigilance.There knows a beautiful tour guide(Carla Gugino).But the allegedly easy employment results to be a roller-coaster when encounters what an Egyptian curse causes the ancient animals,beasts,historic personages and miniature are brought to life originating wreak havoc and complications for the unlucky night watchman.Thus several animals and historic characters come to life , like a Tyrannosaurus Rex,lions,monkeys,besides a Neardenthal cavemen,Vikings,Attile(Patrick Gallaher) and the Huns,Chinese Terra-cotta soldier,Christopher Columbus,Lewis and Clark with Sacajawea(Mizuo Peck)Teodoro Roosevelt(Robin Williams)and Octavius(Steve Coogan) and a cowboy(Owen Wilson).This blockbuster displays action,adventures,fantasy and an enjoyable father-son relationship.This fantastic film begins like a familiar drama and continues with an authentic sense of magic and wonder ,wind up an overlong bombastic wild ride made by excellent special effects and with an exciting final pursuit.Spectacular images and computer generator set pieces action with several personages and animals can not erase the charm of characters and ideas especially in the hands of peerless casting.Colorful and lush cinematography by Guillermo Navarro(Guillermo del Toro's usual cameraman)and lively musical score by Alan Silvestri(Robert Zemeckis's usual musician).The motion picture is beautifully executed with phenomenal production values and well directed by Shawn Levy,he's a familiar cinema expert:Cheaper by the dozen,Pink Panther,Just married.The film contains numerous scenes have you on the edge of your seat with a stunning array of technical images what will be enjoyed for all family..
Alas, I had my hopes set too high.One would think that in a film with Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Mickey Rooney, Dick Van Dyke, Robin Williams and Owen Wilson would be filled to the brim with great comedic performances.
But there is only one actor with any significant screen time who is allowed to let loose with his performance, and that is Ben Stiller: an unfunny guy whose reputation is built on the backs of funny co-stars such as Cameron Diaz, Andy Dick, Janeane Garafalo, and his father Jerry Stiller.The premise of the film--taken from a children's book by Milan Trenc--is that Ben Stiller is a divorced dad who takes a job as the new night watchman at the New York Museum of Natural History in order to prove to his son that he isn't an unemployable loser.
I liked the small roles by Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs, though.Overall, "Night at the museum" is a very average film that tries to disguise itself with a well-known cast and snazzy effects.
If you like to go to the Museum of Natural History, this will sure add some spice to the it...imagine seeing everything going live in action at ....Uh Oh, I can't tell too much, You need to go see for yourself, me and my husband have so much fun watching the movie from the beginning to the end.
And in supporting roles it was nice seeing Robin Williams (as Teddy Roosevelt) and Dick van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs as the three old retired watchmen.The special effects are all quite good, in fact you feel like all those CGI animals are real.
This great fiction movie tells the story of Larry Daley, a good man that have some problems finding a job, and he finally found one at the Museum of History, where, oh surprise!, all the exhibits come to life at night by some unknown reason!
The acting role of Robin Williams as president Teddy Roosevelt, as always is touching, and Ben Stiller in a good acting, makes you laugh really loud!.A great fantasy story, that makes you learn more than history!.
But at another point, when Larry needs Roosevelt's historical expertise, the character observes that he really knows nothing  he's just a wax figure created by a factory in upstate New York.You can't have it both ways guys.A small detail I suspect and the kids who will make this one of the most popular films of the Christmas season won't notice."Night at the Museum' is not a flat-out comedy (though Stiller always has something droll happening) but that is not what its producers are after.
Once the sun comes down, the fun begins.The cast is the best part of "Night at the Museum." Ben Stiller is funny, as always, as Larry Daley.
An all star cast including greats like Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Robin Williams compliment the main character played by Ben Stiller who i believe gave one of his best performances in this film.Night At The Museum has definitely been let down by bad marketing (i think another member commented on that), so buy a ticket - i promise you won't be disappointed!.
The film gets off to a good start, as we are introduced to Ben Stiller's 'loser' character as he tries to get a job to provide stability for his son.
The trio of Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs provide a few laughs, while the film is fleshed out by comedians such as Robin Williams, Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan as museum exhibits.
If one or two scenes are quite funny (I particularly like the one where Attila cries...) and Ben Stiller brought some of his SNL friends (Owen Wilson is great in a tiny cowboy with an useless gun, and Steve Coogan in mini-gladiator is also perfect), the movie is rather unoriginal, predictable, not so fun, and badly directed (even from a technical point of view : you can see the mikes in a few scenes : come on !
Night at the Museum is a fantastic movie with a very well developed storyline and a brilliant cast.The movie is dramatic,funny and also takes you on a fun and crazy adventure,which will keep people glued to their seat all the way through.Ben Stiller is great in the lead and he is also joined by an outstanding supporting cast,which includes the great Robin Williams,Owen Wilson,Dick Van Dyke,Ricky Gervais,among many others.The effects are absolutely beautiful and you can tell from start to finish that a lot of time,money and dedication was put in to making this film.Fun for the whole family and a wild ride,I would recommend Night at the Museum to anyone looking for a good family or adventure film.
The movie is about Larry is the security guard of the Natural History Museum and he discovers that all the animals and exhibits come to life at night.
The audience will be shocked by the animals and exhibits thanks to the special effect which let them come to life at night.Another thing I like about this film is about the actors.All the actors give a superb performance in the movie.A perfect example is that Ben Stiller who acts as Larry , he acts like a Joker so he makes the scenes become hilarious.
it is a amazing movie if you like scary movies this is your kind of movie than it is funny all though this is one amazing movie you will say wow lets watch that again this is a movie you just have to see for sure this is a great movie Ben Stiller is great for this movie it is a two thumbs up movie this is something that you just have to see to believe it it is a outstanding movie that the whole family will enjoy this movie rocks i never saw a movie this good before this is a must see movie you just have to watch this amazing movie you will die when you see this wonderful movie go see this movie today i recombined this movie it is out stand it hits a home run it is a knockout Night at the Museum is a movie that you just have to go see it is a must see for sure it is a 4 out of 4 star movie in my opinion i hope you say that same thing because this is great now go cook some popcorn and get a large soda and grab a great seat and watch one of the best movies ever.
It has an old fashioned feel to it and although there are lots of effects used throughout the main selling point of the film is the story and the interaction between the characters.Ben Stiller heads up a strong cast of the great and good of comedic actors with Steve Coogan and Ricky Gervais (at his most tolerable) being the big names with legends such as Robin Williams and Dick Van Dyke also being involved.Shawn Levy gets some stick for his films but he does a good job here of making a classic film that can be enjoyed by those of all ages.
It stars Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan.
Plot sees Stiller as a newly recruited night security guard at the Museum of Natural History, who discovers that an ancient curse causes the animals and exhibits on display to come to life and wreak havoc.
i gotta be honest,i didn't laugh once while watching this movie.yet for some reason i still enjoyed it.it has its fair share of excitement and i liked the wide array of characters.it takes awhile to get going,but once it does,it's actually not a bad little movie.Ben Stilller stars.Kim Raver,who i really like,has very small role,as does Carla Gugino.Paul Rudd has what amounts to a cameo.there are a lot of big names in supporting or even smaller oles in this film.too many to list here.it's nice to see Mickey Rooney,Bill Cobbs and Dick Van Dyke together.they had good chemistry,and were amusing.even though i didn't find the film funny,i still found it entertaining.for me,Night at the Museum is a 6/10.
Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney are great fun in their roles, but my favourite has to be Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt, in one of his more entertaining "recent" films.
Here is a bit of movie trivia.Steve Coogan who plays Octavius the Roman Soldier,had some prior experience playing a toy miniature.He was also in the 1995 Frank Oz film "The Indian In The Cupboard" where he played Tommy Atkins,a toy World War I British Medic who is brought to life by the magic cupboard.Guess he already knew how to look up at the camera high above the actors heads and got the job.And compare Owen Wilsons character Jedadiah in Museum to David Keiths character,Boone the cowboy in Cupboard.They seem awfully alike.All in all Museum is a nice children's movie with a lot of in jokes (who else with a deep voice to play the Easter Island Head than Everybody Loves Raymonds,Brad Garrett).Give it a second chance if you didn't like it the first the time.You just might like it on a different level..
Ben Stiller does a very good job with his role, and makes that film have some genuine laughs.
As you can work out from the trailer, this movie is all about a Museum where the exhibits come to life at night.Ben Stiller plays a down-and-outer who needs to find a job or face losing visits from his son.
And Robin Williams was great as "DR." As the lights came up in the theater at the end of the movie, my family and I all agreed that this was definitely a "buyer" when it comes out on DVD..
It looked like it was a blast making this film.Larry has a problem, he can't seem to hold a job for too long, it's disappointing to his son, but he wants to turn things around and gets hired as a security job at the museum of natural history, but little does he know when the former security guard tells him to watch out for the museum at night and gives him interesting directions, well, you know the saying that museums can bring history to life?
Kids might enjoy the idea of museum exhibits coming alive at night but adults should probably avoid this film unless they're real Ben Stiller fans..
Night at the Museum is a decent family comedy film starring Ben Stiller.