Night at the Museum 2006
I had heard mixed reviews on this one and wasn’t willing to take a chance on this until it came to DVD. Ben Stiller can be so uneven, and by that I mean he can be so very, very bad like in Dodgeball or Zoolander. Here he is more like he was in Meet the Parents, a likable guy with a few flaws. That makes all the difference. The story still almost collapses under its own sweetness, but I guess they could only count on the “history comes alive” jokes for so long. Unlike the previews, it isn’t all slapstick humor: there is some very good writing here. But it isn’t all action either and they probably could have done without the whole romantic interest that felt like part of a formula. Even with that emotional goo, I felt happy rather than just nauseated, so I guess it worked. Not a great movie, but decent entertainment with some fun action scenes and good jokes. B.
Written: 30 Jun 2007
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital