Movies

I did not plan to see Night at the Museum.

I did not want to see Night at the Museum.

But...I was invited to go. So I went. Why not, right?

I liked it.

Before going to see it for myself, I was perplexed by the numbers this movie was posting at the box office. The only rationale I could attribute to its success was that it was pretty much the only "kids movie" out, but that couldn't be enough of a driving force to get that many people to go see it. But now it all makes sense.

If you are in search of a thought-provoking, well-written plot with rich character development, Night at the Museum should not be on your list. If you want a fun (and at times very funny) film with a good message for your kids, make sure Night at the Museum is on your list. The story was a little hokey; I can admit that. But it was still entertaining.

Ben Stiller (who I do not typically enjoy) is Larry, the consistently out-of-work, divorced father who takes a job as night security for The Museum of Natural History. The job sounds simple enough, but he soon finds it is much more than he bargained for when on his first night everything in the museum comes to life. Yes. Literally.

The story, very narrowly, is about Stiller being a hero to his kid. Much more broadly, the story shows kids how much fun history can be (apparently as long as you don't have the teachers I had in high school!). The movie has probably influenced an increase in trips to museums all over the country by exciting children about the mysticism of the exhibits. Any movie that can be entertaining and educational like that deserves praise. I will even admit that it caused me to consider a trip to a museum one of these days.

But the real highlight for me was the constant banter between Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, as Jedidiah and Octavius respectively. They played leaders of groups of miniature characters in the "diorama room" of the museum, constantly at war with each other. Their interaction with each other and Ben Stiller was hilarious. (They even made me a little nostalgic for the good old days of The Indian in the Cupboard.)

I saw Night at the Museum in IMAX, which did not seem to make much of a difference. It was a pleasant viewing and listening experience, but I would imagine that Night at the Museum is just as good in your normal theater, so save yourself the extra few dollars.

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