Night at the Museum
(2006) dir. Shawn Levy
viewed: 12/25/06 at Century 20 Daly City
Night at the Museum is the kind of movie that Hollywood tries to make so frequently yet fails pathetically. It’s a fun kids’ movie that’s pretty enjoyable straight through, and while you can essentially get the main gags from the trailer, it somehow manages to be entertaining throughout, without hitting any significant snags.
This is partially because that though it has this underlying story about a divorced dad who is trying to just get a job and get his life together to help his son, it doesn’t overdo the saccharine moments too heavily most of the time. I am thinking about Jon Favreau’s Elf (2003) at the moment and this sort of underscores the push toward nausea.
Ben Stiller is at his best here, doing his Ben Stiller thing, more lightweight, not trying to be too edgy. And there are some fun smaller roles from Steve Coogan and Mickey Rooney and others that sort of round out the humor.
Actually, trying to analyze why this film works when so many others fail to, I really am coming up short. I note frequently about myself that I seem humorless so often when it comes to comedies that I feel like perhaps I shouldn’t even be watching them. But, you know, when the movie works and it’s fun and you come out of the theater smiling about something, what the heck. ‘Tis the season, after all. Right?
