Showcasing a glittering array of comedy talent from Ben Stiller to Ricky Gervais, Night at the Museum is a slapstick comedy that's bound to get the kids giggling.
Stiller plays Larry Daley, a lazy dreamer and a divorced dad, who has trouble bringing his many moneymaking schemes to
fruition. Pressured by his ex-wife to find a job or lose custody of his 10-year-old son Nick (Jake Cherry), Daley finds work at New York's famed Museum of Natural History, where he is tutored in security by three outgoing guards (Dick Van Dyke, Bill Cobbs and a scene-stealing Mickey Rooney). But when the doors are locked for the day and the sun goes down, Daley discovers a critical thing they didn't tell him. A seemingly easy job turns out to be a wild ride, when he finds that an ancient curse has caused the inhabitants of the museum to come to life.
With monkeys and lions and zebras also finishing their hibernation, and famous historical figures running amuck in the corridors, it's not long before the museum starts to resemble a party thrown by history enthusiasts at the local zoo.
Directed by Shawn Levy with an emphasis on chaos over anything resembling an interesting story, the movie was adapted by screenwriters Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. The family comedy topped the box office in the United States and Canada over the Christmas holiday weekend last year.
Chen Nan
Night at the Museum opens on Feb 14 at cinemas citywide.
(China Daily 02/07/2007 page6)
