Une nuit au musée

All Hollywood movies have one thing in common. They have the special ability to make past eras of history, rich, poignant and interesting. That is the premise of this film, "A Night at The Museum." It is the simple story of a father, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) who has developed a strained relation with his son. The boy, like most children wishes his bond with his father was more secure. Instead, Larry dreams of becoming an over-night success with his wild 'get rich' schemes. In doing so he puts in jeopardy the custody of his son. To remedy this situation, Larry takes a job as a night-watchman at a museum. Unbeknownst to him, three aging guards, Cecil, Gus and Reginald (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs) do not inform him of their larcenous intentions, nor of the 'Special' magic which descends upon the place each night. Because of the three aging veterans of Hollywood and a well-placed Robin Williams, this movie is destined for Classic status. Due to the incredible artistry of special Effects, what the viewer sees is nothing short of wondrous. This is a fantastic movie. If pressed to find a flaw in the film, I'd say, I would have chosen someone like, Jim Carey or Michael Richards for the father/son scenes as Mr. Stiller was a bit artificial. Still, the movie is worth seeing as it is. ****

I came into this movie thinking that it would suck AND disliking Ben Stiller very much. But I thought, hey, free tickets, Monday night, how bad could it be? Well, it wasn't. It was much funnier and had a much better script than I had anticipated. Stiller, famous for being *in* funny situations and not making them, actually acted like a comic character, something of a cross between Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler. Usuaully he's a passive element, but here he propelled the comedy further. Great job. Also, a fantastic group of supporting characters like Gus, Mr. McPhee and Atilla the Hun. The only problem I really had was the son, who was much too perfect and pacific to be of any interest, and was, at most times, quite annoying.

So all of you nay-sayers who judge the film by its previews, tut-tut to you. It's funny, it's fast, and wastes no time with kicking it into high gear. Great special effects, especially the T-Rex. Also, with the poor previews, it leaves you to enjoy the many delightful small twists and turns that keep the movie fresh.

So take off that cloak of prejudice and enjoy, it won't disappoint.

True, it is overlong, some parts are a tad slow particularly the beginning, and it was let down by bad marketing, but on the whole Night At The Museum is a fun and entertaining family film. Some of it is very, very funny, not hilarious, just funny, and Ben Stiller gives a very good account of himself as Larry. The museum characters are very well designed, and it was when they came to life when the film let itself go. Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney are great fun in their roles, but my favourite has to be Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt, in one of his more entertaining "recent" films. Plus the story is imaginative and fresh.

All in all, I've said this more than once already, a fun and entertaining film, flawed it is, but very enjoyable family viewing. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I think it's really annoying when I read reviews on here of a kids movie and someone tears it apart. Do these people expect to see Oscar award winning performances and production? As for this film, I thought it was really cute. It's perfect for a kid's imagination. I saw the movie at a pre-screening and every kid afterwards was smiling and excitedly talking about the movie. Sure there are some dumb jokes, etc., but overall the movie was great. It was especially cool to see Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney working together.

Take your kid to see this movie. Their imagination will go wild and they might even be curious to go to a history museum afterwards.

I saw it with a big group of friends (all in their early 20's) on opening night, and we all thought it was hilarious. It wasn't until a few days later that I heard reviews for it that were less than favorable. I thought the movie was funny and light-hearted. Yeah, some parts may not have seemed to make sense, but come on. It's a movie about exhibits in a museum coming to life - I don't think the creators were aiming for realism. I thought Ben Stiller did a great job, as did other supporting actors, especially the security guards. Everyone in the theater clapped when it was over, so they must have liked it too. I would definitely recommend it.