Night at the Museum

While this film has done quite well at the box office, Ben Stiller's latest is not a top-notch film by any means. Except for a few good lines (Owen Wilson's reference to Brokeback Mountain) and the well-crafted special effects, this film fails in a couple respects. First, the fear of the unknown is almost immediately taken away, as Stiller's character, Larry Daley, discovers almost immediately that the items in the museum do indeed come to life. Second, the plot of the film is flimsy at best.

While a good friend of mine said that I am too hard on this movie because it is a children's movie, I would have to disagree by noting that other children's films can be both entertaining and smart as well. My only other major qualm with this film is with Ben Stiller. It seems to me that in any of his recent films, he is always one degree away from his own personality. It's time to try something new, because I for one have seen enough of the inept, bumbling nice guy. C-.