Night at the Cliche Museum
Not a very enjoyable film-to say the least. When I rented this movie, I did not know it was based on a childrens book that apparently has about 15 page. (I might have had lowered expectations if I had known.) But nowadays everything is based on a children's book, so maybe I should have guessed.
Night at the Museum is a comedy, but I laughed maybe twice. Briefly. There was one funny reference to Brokeback Mountain and maybe one other funny joke that caught me off guard.
I have little idea why this movie made, like, a billion dollars. I mean for a few weeks there it seemed like everyone on the planet was lining up to see Night at the Museum. From what I heard the movie never got great reviews from critics, yet I strived to maintain an open mind. And I have to be honest and fair. Although I didn't like this film, if one is seeking a wholesome "family film" why this would be a good choice. So if you are a parent looking for something to occupy your children which in the process won't cause any emotional damage and might even foster some positive feelings about visiting museums- Night at the Museum might be a reasonable selection.
The movie stars Ben Stiller, who after the success of this movie I guess we are never going to see the end of...ever. His face will be burned into your skull. The plot of Night at the Museum focuses on a dad, played by Stiller, who gets a job as a nighttime guard at The Natural History Museum in New York City mainly to impress his young son. Then he is tricked by some super geriatric (and mysteriously mean spirited) security guards. At night for some mysterious and never explained reason, everything at the museum(dinosaurs, monkeys, cavemen, hot native american chicks, whatever) come to life and play around.
I am sure we will have plenty of time to explore all the multi-faceted reasons these items come alive in the sequels to Night at the Museum that will probably haunt us til the end of time.
Ben Stiller really isn't very funny in the role. He goes through the motions. The movie also features a bunch more super famous comedic actors who are supposed to amuse us to no end including Robin Williams and Luke Wilson, who at this stage are about as amusing as herpes.
I really felt like logging a list of all the cliches during this movie. I am not going to bore you with the complete rundown, but cliches include the following:
-cliche dad who fears his ex's new husband is more impressive to his son than him and goes to all lengths to prove his worthiness
-cliche fun dance party sequence at the cheerful resolution aka "Celebrate Good Times, Come On" 80's type merriment
-cliche monkey's slapping humans around like a Three Stooges bit
-cliche idea that middle school level text book learning can help us overcome all obstacles
Grading
Story: D
Acting: B
Visuals: A- (some nice CG on the animals and reptiles)
Originality/Innovation: D (also based on a book- a children's book. Not too innovative these days
Enjoyability: C
Overall: C (a generous grade)
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