Night in the Museum

Night in the Museum (Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams) – I never see kids’ movies but I got lured into seeing this Jumanji-like kidflick.  Surprise!  I liked it.  I really, really liked it.  Ben Stiller stars as the career-challenged dad who reluctantly takes the job as night guard in the Metropolitan Museum of Natural History in New York when a trio comprised of a septuagenarian (Bill Cobbs of That Thing You Do) and two octogenarians (the incomparable Dick Van Dyke, 81, and amazing Mickey Rooney, 86) get laid off.  Unbeknownst to the newbie is that, after hours, the museum figures some alive – really – and while it overwhelms and scares our hero, he eventually marshals the characters to avert a heist with the help of his friends, led by Teddy Roosevelt (played adroitly and enthusiastically by Robin Williams).  The journey is the fun, and there’s a lot for adults to like as much as the kids.  It’s more fun than scary so don’t worry about the kids.  And it’s funny, too, with Stiller crony Owen Wilson taking a big, uncredited role as a cowboy miniature.  This movie could have dissolved into special effects hell or just child’s play, but it never loses its focus as a comedy with a solid underlying story.  It’s a little like Click for kids, but it holds together better.  A special note that Mickey Rooney has his first film credit at age 6 in 1926 and boasts more than 300 credits on the imdb.com (International Movie Data Base website).  He is currently in production of three movies.  Don’t forget to stay through the credits to see Van Dyke and Rooney dance a little, too.