Film Reviews

Night At the Museum

• Rating:
• Director: Shawn Levy.
• Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais.
• Details: US / 90mins (PG).

Disappointed his son is too embarrassed to pick him for the school career day, good-natured Larry (Stiller) finally settles down and gets a proper job as a night-watchman at the Museum Of Natural History. What Larry thinks is a boring job soon turns about to be the most exciting - and dangerous - he's ever had. You see, the wax figures come to life at night and Larry's job is to stop them escaping from the museum. This is not easy because the miniature cowboys, Romans and Mayans have a grudge against each other, the civil war is re-fought every night, man-eating lions roam the halls, the T-Rex likes to play fetch and Attila the Hun is hell-bent on, well, everything. If you like Small Soldiers, Gulliver's Travels, Jumanji, Toy Story and Madam Tussauds, you can't go wrong with Night At The Museum. Stiller is always good for a laugh and although he's aware he's staring in a kids comedy and reigns back on his usual brash humour, when the figures come alive, so does Stiller - and so do the jokes. The jokes and set pieces come thick and fast: the antics between Wilson's cowboy and Coogan's Roman General never get dull and Gervais' unfinished sentences gain momentum as the movie plays out, but the biggest laugh is Stiller connecting with Attila on an emotional level. Big, loud and crazy fun with a massive heart, Night At The Museum is a Christmas comedy everyone can enjoy.

Review by Gavin Burke