#140RVW
Ben Stiller PLUS Robin Williams peg the overacting meter in the red, but it’s not a deal-breaker, because this is such a fun family film…
What’s more:
When this film was promoted I was very hopeful, simply because this story reminds me of the kind of book I read when I was a kid, like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Makes sense, since it’s based on a 1993 children’s book of the same name by Milan Trenc. It’s a fantastic premise, simple though it is.
The big worry, of course, was the double threat of Ben Stiller & Robin Williams, two of the most shameless overactors of all time. But where Williams is funny if overbearing, I’ve never particularly cared for Stiller. Add in Owen Wilson & Steve Coogan, and this could have been a really unpleasant experience.
So no one was more pleased than I at how this turned out. Yes, Stiller is Stiller – a smug clown over-amused at himself – but his role as a struggling divorced father is a perfect vessel for him. He has an opportunity to show a quiet humanity and it suits him well. His interactions with his son are really sweet and make the picture.
Williams as Teddy Roosevelt is great casting; the blustery overbearing thing is actually well met here. Wilson is his usual whiny self – I completely miss the appeal of him – but Coogan is kinda fun.
A real pleasure here is Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney & Bill Cobbs as the museum’s former night guards. So great to see these old farmhands practice their craft.
(Note: this review was written on 4/7/2014 – word that Mickey Rooney passed away broke this morning. What an amazing talent we’ve lost.)
The effects are mostly good, although a few extra bucks of production value wouldn’t have gone amiss. Director Shawn Levy acquits himself nicely on his first big fx picture. It’s a really fun and not too stupid family movie and that’s not a bad thing at all. We need more of them…
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: B (8 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Ben Stiller Larry Daley, Carla Gugino Rebecca, Ricky Gervais Dr. McPhee, Dick Van Dyke Cecil |
| Rating | PG |
| Release Date | Fri 22 Dec 2006 UTC |
| Director | Shawn Levy |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy |
| Plot | A newly recruited night security guard at the Museum of Natural History discovers that an ancient curse causes the animals and exhibits on display to come to life and wreak havoc. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 108 |
| Tagline | This Christmas, it won’t be a silent night. |
| Writers | Robert Ben Garant (screenplay) &, Thomas Lennon (screenplay) … |
| Year | 2006 |