MOVIE REVIEW: Night At The Museum

Hello all, I came home for the holidays yesterday to spend a little quality time with the family. My brother and I were running some errands this morning and thought what the hell lets go see Night at the Museum. It's got Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais and Robin Williams it's gotta be at least a little funny. It was a kiddie film after all but there were a few jokes peppered in there for the adults in the audience. Ben Stiller was his usual funny dopey self. Owen Wilson is funny as a mini-cowboy. Unfortunately we don't get to see enough of the hilarious Ricky Gervais as a dick head curator, but the one who surprised me the most and almost steals this show I shit you not---Mickey Rooney. Yeah, I said Mickey Rooney, you know, the Biggest Star in the World. Honestly I thought he had died years ago after one of those horse movies he did in the 90's. You know The Black Stallion 12 or My Friend Flicker or something. Anyway, the old dude was funny dropping one liners and an elbow on Ben Stiller's noggin.
The movie is about a loser inventor, Larry, (Ben Stiller) who can't seem to hold down a job while disappointing his kid cause he's a dreamer, the damn hippy. So he gets this job as the night watchman at the Natural History Museum in New York. When the lights go out and the patrons leave the Museum starts to come alive, literally. The wax figure of Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) tries to guide the new guard through his daily routine of fending off Lions and Attila the Hun. He also is forced to keep the peace between a mini-Cowboy (Owen Wilson) and a Mini-Roman general (Steve Coogan) bent on killing one another. Larry tries to make his job work with the help of a pretty historian, Rebecca, (Carla Gugino) and three bumbly old security guards. (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs.)

The film was cute and silly, it was for children after all, but it was nicely acted and it reminded me of those old Disney films I used to love like Freaky Friday, Mary Poppins and Bednobs and Broomsticks. Think of it as a better upgrade from Jumanji. Plus any movie with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson will always be funny, that's just the rule.

Grade: 3 Buckets