The Leader

There are few movies out there that simulate the effects of drinking too much Nyquil in one sitting; there are a few that feel like a good night of hard drinking, one café mocha too many, or even your basic acid trip, but Night at the Museum takes the cake for being the most surreal movie to come out since MirrorMask.

Ben Stiller is Larry, your average down-on-his-luck, divorced, can’t-hold-a-job movie dad who exhibits a number of side-effects from chemical abuse (including being unable to hold a job or an apartment, is divorced and “sees things”) without apparently abusing any chemicals. He has an 11-year-old son who is growing tired of his semi-deadbeat ways and is starting to bond with his soulless, bond brokering, soon-to-be stepfather. For one reason or another, Larry is still on good terms with his ex-wife, as the exact reason for their separation is not so much explained as it is vaguely hinted at. In a last ditch effort to maintain some stability in his life, Larry takes a job at the New York Natural History Museum, replacing Cecil (Dick Van Dyke) and his cronies as the night watchman.

This is where things get weird.

At night, the displays come alive. All of them: the tyrannosaurus in the front lobby has a fetish for bone-chasing, the Easter Island head has an endless craving for “gum-gum” and the miniature cowboys (Owen Wilson being one of them) have a perpetual feud with the miniature Romans. Fortunately, Larry has our 26^th president, Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) to give him a hand on his first night. Good thing too- nothing is more embarrassing than losing a slap-fight with a stuffed monkey.

To be completely heinous here, this movie was just out and out bizarre. Seeing Van Dyke in something other than a creepy murder program on CBS was refreshing, but still a little creepy nonetheless. Stiller and Wilson once again make an excellent team in this film, but on a level so weird I am utterly speechless. And frankly, watching Williams sneak peeks at Sacajawea (Mizou Peck) through his field glasses made me squirm every time it came on screen.

Relationships were paramount in this movie, but the one relationship I would have loved to have seen develop a little more would have been between that of night watchman, Larry, and museum docent Rebecca (Carla Gugino). They get on speaking terms, and even reach the “Hey, let’s get some coffee” phase, but really don’t progress any further beyond friendly acquaintance; disappointing, really.

Overall, Night at the Museum was cute; cute in that “Holy crap, I mixed my Robitussin with my absinthe again” way, but cute nonetheless. Just remember to lock up the lions, lest they eat you.

3 of 5

Article Tools