What Might Have Been

A Night At The Museum, written by Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon, based on the book by Milan Trenc; directed by Shawn Levy.

So many effect-laden stories fixate on spectacle and current sensations, it's refreshing to see a film that attempts to extoll the wonders of exploring the past. While many of these ideas (visually and otherwise) have been examined in other movies - Jumanji, Jurassic Park, and The Indian In The Cupbord are among the many echoed here - it's still a thrill to see history literally come alive.

It's the story of New Yorker Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), a divorced dad who's still trying to find his direction in life. His son Nick (Jake Cherry) loves him dearly, but is starting to lose patience - Don, the new dad, may be a dreamless dork, but his stability is beginning to look appealing. Much to Larry's dismay, Nick now understands the concept of a "fallback" plan, since playing hockey is losing its appeal. Larry's current job is in the past tense, and he needs a new one - and fast - before he loses his apartment and his family's confidence.

Desparate, he takes a job as a night watchman for the local museum - one of those cavernous, east-coast style museums that seems to contain everything. The curator (Ricky Gervias in full-throttle officiousness) is downsizing the security staff, and they need one man to do the job of three (Bill Cobbs, Dick Van Dyke, and Mickey Rooney). Why not? Larry doesn't even bother to read the instructions that his predecessors left for him. He can hang onto his lease, and it seems harmless enough.

Except, of course, it isn't. Thanks to a magical Egyptian tablet, the entire collection comes to life at sundown - from the enormous Tyrannosaurus skeleton down to the tiniest figurines in the dioramas. Everyone's dying to get out of their glass cases, so Larry discovers he's got to play substitute teacher to a jungle's worth of wild animals (including the ubitquitous mischevious monkey), explorers, soldiers, cowboys, cavemen, and other various and sundry squabbling figures from history. Like us, the figurines and statues can be prejudiced against their fellows, isolated in their cases from each other, and sometimes themselves. It's affecting to see Sacagewea sealed behind glass, yearning for a larger world.

The first night is a complete disaster, and the instructions are destroyed. Larry sticks to his guns, though, mainly for his son - cramming his head with history from the library and internet, gradually learning how to connect with his charges. It's not without mistakes along the way - the tablet has a quasi-vampiric hold over the inhabitants; if they remain outside when the sun rises, they crumble to dust, lost forever. Along these lines, the tablet also has had a Coccoon-like rejuvenating effect on the elderly guards - this wrinkle is what drives the third act's Time Bandits-style uprising.

Larry discovers that he does have the spark of greatness within him, and ultimately helps to protect the museum and its inhabitants from the forces of evil and selfishness. The action sequences are fine, but it's genuinely touching to have Teddy Roosevelt tell you that you have what it takes. Who wouldn't want that?

This is a terrific, inspiring concept, but unfortunately the script isn't up to delivering on its full potential. There's plenty of great plot elements and some nice heartfelt moments, but the order and proportions seem off. The internal logic of the story isn't thought through carefully - characters have difficulty communicating when it's necessary (as with Attila The Hun), while others are not only fluent, but become translators in other instances (as with the Egyptian king). Additionally, the magic tablet can be conveniently turned off and on at will; and as with other story elements, abilites are added to the tablet as they become useful. Little Nick's future (as a hockey player or otherwise) falls to the wayside, as well as the fate of Larry's tenuous bond with his ex-wife. There's some huge missed opportunities as well - a friend of mine pointed out that you could bring any toy, stuffed animal or figure to the museum, and once they crossed the threshold, they too would come to life at night.

Young children will be thrilled by the set pieces (I know I would've loved this film when I was ten or so), but with a little more thought, this film could've been amazing, treating our inner adults as well as our inner children. And that's truly a shame.