(detailed information about this entry from Wikipedia)
Night at the Museum is a 2006 American comedy film. It is based on The Night at the Museum, a 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc.
Released on December 22, 2006, the film was written by Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon of Comedy Central's Reno 911! and MTV's The State and directed by Shawn Levy. The cast includes Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Ricky Gervais, Carla Gugino, Steve Coogan, and Owen Wilson. A new novelization of the screenplay by Leslie Goldman was published as a movie tie-in.
Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a divorced father who is constantly unable to keep a stable job, the bulk of them being failed business ventures. He is desperate to win the support of his son Nick (Jake Cherry), whom he fears is beginning to look up to his more successful soon-to-be stepfather (Paul Rudd), a bond trader on Wall Street. After being fired from his last job, he applies for a job at the Museum of Natural History, and is assigned as a night guard.
The three older, and soon to be unemployed, night guards, Cecil, Gus, and Reginald, give him a quick tour, advise him to leave some of the lights on, and warn him not to let anything "in...or out" which Larry meets with humorous skepticism. Larry fails to follow the instructions and chaos erupts. First, he discovers the T-Rex skeleton missing and finds it drinking from the water fountain until it notices Larry and chases him. Larry tries to leave the museum but can't get the revolving door to open (Come on door, revolve! Revolve!). He dashes back to the front desk and dives under for cover while he frantically calls Cecil. Cecil, while at a retirement party, calmly tells Larry to read the instruction manual. Larry then reads the manual and finds the first instruction to be "Throw the bone". At this point Larry sees the T-Rex drop one of its own rib bones. Larry throws the bone and tries to run away, only to get cut-off by the T-Rex who again drops the bone. He realizes the T-Rex wants to play fetch. Larry throws the bone again and runs further into the museum where he notices everything else coming to life. The Easter Island Head tells Larry to give him some "gum-gum" which results in him being chased by Attila the Hun. Checking the instructions again the next line says "Lock up the lions or they will eat you". While in the Hall of American History, he evades the fight between the Civil War mannequins and goes to the African Mammals exhibit (which a woolly mammoth knocks him in there) to lock up the lions who then attack alongside an ostrich. While attempting to lock the bars he looks at the next instruction. It says "Double-check your belt. The monkey probably stole your keys." Larry then realizes his keys have been stolen by Dexter, a Capuchin monkey who is also in the African Mammals exhibit. Larry eventually regains his keys but the instruction manual is torn to shreds by Dexter. He goes to the displays where he is stunned by the miniature Mayans caught between a battle with the miniature cowboy display led by Jedediah, and the miniature Roman Gladiator display led by Gaius Octavius. Fortunately, Larry is rescued from all the fighting by a wax model of Theodore Roosevelt, who explains that ever since an Egyptian tablet was brought to the museum, everything comes to life as he is taken to Akmenrah's exhibit. However, if the exhibits are outside of the museum by sunrise, they turn to dust. Roosevelt proceeds to help Larry by restoring order but insists that Larry do it himself the following night.
Larry almost quits after that night. The musuem's director Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais) asks Larry on why the miniature Octavius' figure is in the stockades of the miniature cowboy display. On Cecil's advice the next day, Larry begins to study the history of the events and people in the exhibits to prepare himself better since there's no copy of the manual. He meets Rebecca, who is writing a dissertation of Sacagawea.
The next day he comes with a plan, which entails a visit to the library and reading dozens of books on world history and science. He uses a remote control car to play with the T-Rex skeleton, he gives fake keys to Dexter, a large gum ball to the Easter Island Head, a lighter for the Neanderthals, performs tricks for Attila the Hun, a box to protect himself from the Mayan's stun darts, and tries to settle things between Jedediah and Octavius telling them he will let them roam the museum if they promise to behave themselves, or else end up having their displays locked like the Mayans. It all backfires when Dexter steals his keys which unlocks the African room and unlocks a window, Attila sees a flaw in Larry's acts, and the Neanderthals set fire to their display which Larry extinguishes with a nearby fire extinguisher. Larry corners Dexter and they end up in a slap fight which Theodore Roosevelt helps to get the keys back. A Neanderthal escapes out a window only for it to turn to dust when the sun rises, which Larry witnesses. Larry re-enters the museum, full of guilt, and sees Theodore Roosevelt, already turned to his statue form, clutching the keys in his hand.
Larry barely manages to keep his job after what happens to the Neanderthal exhibit. While locking up for the night, Larry tells Rebecca that everything in the museum comes to life at night, and to help with her dissertation he'd be willing to introduce her to Sacagewea. However, Rebecca thinks that Larry is mocking her, and leaves the museum visibly upset. To surprise his son, Larry had offered to take Nick to work that night, but nothing comes to life. Larry and Nick head towards the security office and find Cecil, Gus, and Reginald stealing the Egyptian tablet amongst other artifacts. Cecil reveals to Larry that like the museum exhibits, the tablet gives new life to himself and his cohorts at night. Now accustomed to this new-found vigor they are unwilling to give it up and were planning on stealing it and various artifacts to fund their retirement. Cecil and his companions had set Larry up by copying his apartment key and planting artifacts from the museum, thus when the tablet came up missing Larry would be blamed and no one would suspect the former night watchmen. Nick steals the tablet from Cecil and after prompting from Larry, turns an out-of-place panel that reactivates the tablet's power and bringing the exhibits to life once more. Dexter lets the woolly mammoth, rhinoceros, leopard, and an Inuit on a dogsled out of the museum. Cecil grabs the tablet back and locks Nick and Larry in the Egyptian room.
Larry calls for Theodore Roosevelt for help who tells him he must free himself and also that he's not like the real thing. The only thing left for Larry to do is release Akmenrah. After dodging the giant Anubis statues, Larry opens the sarcophagus releasing the mummy Ahkmenrah and asks him to stop the Anubis statues. Ahkmenrah does so then turns to Larry and begins unwrapping himself. Once freed of his wrappings Ahkmenrah appearance is of a normal person, not mummified at all. He also surprisingly speaks English, to which he replies (when Larry inquires) that he spent many years at Cambridge University (as an exhibit). He then asks Larry for his tablet back so he can "claim his kingdom". Larry informs Ahkmenrah that the tablet has been stolen and Ahkmenrah orders the statues to break down the gate. Larry, Nick and Ahkmenrah set out to reclaim the tablet. Once in the museum lobby they find almost all of the exhibits involved in one big battle. With Ahkmenrah's help, they befriend Attila the Hun. They try unsuccessfully to get the attention of the exhibits, until the Easter Island Head roars above the crowd telling them to quiet down and pay attention to Larry. This has the desired effect and all of the exhibits stop fighting and turn to Larry. Larry sends the Civil War guys to the planetarium and when he sees Christopher Columbus he says to take the Neanderthals through the invertebrae-through-reptiles section, and Jedediah and Octavius to take out the air from a tire in the thief's van. The Civil War guys catch Gus, while Christopher Colombus and the Neanderthals catch Reginald, but Cecil escapes with the tablet and is sprayed by the Blue Whale in Oceanland before escaping to his van. Larry breaks Sacageawea out of her exhibit to track the van only to discover that Cecil returned and escapes on a horse-drawn carriage from the museum. Larry sets out with a posse of exhibits and pursues Cecil while Sacageawea heals Theodore Roosevelt (who was cut in half by saving Sacageawea from being trampled by the carraige). They succeed and the Huns drag Cecil back to the museum. The problem now is that a good number of the exhibits are outside and the sun is close to rising. Larry turns to Ahkmenrah for help, who then performs a spell on the tablet that results in all the exhibits returning back to the museum.
Rebecca sees the exhibits crossing the road in front of her taxi, and realizes that Larry was telling the truth. Rebecca returns to the museum and meets Sacagawea, who agrees to answer Rebecca's questions.
The next day, Dr. McPhee fires Larry despite his effort to clean up the museum, but he is rehired after the media coverage of the escaped exhibits the night before (believed to be a hoax or publicity stunt) increases admissions. Larry appears in Nick's classroom during Career Day. Later that night, the exhibits, Larry, and Nick are partying, and not fighting.
It is revealed during the end credits that Larry did not send the former night guards to jail and merely made them pay back for all they've done to him by working as janitors.
[edit] Instruction Manual
Here is what is on the manual that Larry reads:
- Throw the bone.
- Lock up the lions or they will eat you.
- Double-check your belt. The monkey probably stole your keys.
- Tie the horses to the bench.
- Go inside the temple of Ahkmenrah and muffle the mummy. He scares the others.
- Close the dioramas, and pull their latches over.
- Open the adjoining gallery to the African animals. They will break the door when escaping.
- Duck!!! Be alert for rifle fire.
- Beat the war drum. The Union and Confederate soldiers will not battle if you get the beat right. Slow pace - like lullaby.
- Earplugs are stored behind the crustacean display case. Get to them before the whale gets to its third chorus of whale song - it will bust your eardrums.
- Distract the Neanderthal men once an hour. If they complete sharpening their spears they will hunt you.
- Throw the bone again, but not in the direction of the fossil exhibit.
[edit] Production
The building featured in the film, which was constructed on a sound stage in Vancouver, Canada, is based on the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, external shots of which were used in the movie.[1]
Trainers spent several weeks training Crystal, who plays the monkey Dexter, to slap and bite Stiller in the film.[2]
Ben Stiller claimed that he watched
Tom Cruise in the three
Mission Impossible films to learn how to imitate his running technique.
[3]
Director Shawn Levy credited Ben Stiller for the ensemble cast: "When actors hear that Ben Stiller is in a movie they want to work with him. It['s] a high-water mark and it absolutely draws actors in and I'm convinced that's a big part of why we got this cast."[3]
- Friday Night - performed by McFly, not featured in American version of the film, but heard in some international cuts, used during the end credits.
- September - performed by Earth, Wind and Fire, used before the end credits where everyone in the museum is partying.
- Weapon of Choice - performed by Fatboy Slim, used in the scene where Larry returns to the museum for his second night and is preparing for the chaos.
- Tonight - performed by Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee, Jump In!), used for the end credits.
- Eye of the Tiger - performed by Ben Stiller, used in the scene where Larry is bored and messes around with the microphone at the front desk
- Mandy by Barry Manilow was used when Larry was standing in the elevator, while running from Attila the Hun.
- “Ezekiel Saw Them Dry Bones” is the tune Larry whistles as he passes the empty T. Rex exhibit on his first night.
- “Camptown Races” by Stephen Foster is sung by the townspeople of the American West miniature diorama. This is a period-correct song.
[edit] Trivia
- So far, this is Dick Van Dyke's only role as an antagonist, although he did play a corrupt district attorney in Dick Tracy.
- Primary filming was set to take place in Montreal, but Ben Stiller was reportedly unhappy about working there, and is fond of Vancouver, hence prompting a move to BC.
- Alan Silvestri replaced John Ottman as score composer.
- While filming, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson only had one day that they saw each other. Ben Stiller talked to a tooth pick for the Jedediah scenes, then three months later Owen came in and filmed all of his parts.
- Originally, Stephen Sommers was the director of the project. He eventually left due to creative differences.
- The coin trick that Larry performs for Atilla the Hun is a French Drop.
- The woman in the employment office is Ben Stiller's mother, Anne Meara.
- Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan both acted in the Disney film Around the World in 80 Days (although Owen Wilson as a cameo).
- Jedediah often refers to Larry as Gigantor, a giant robot series from Japan.
- Ben Stiller played Atilla The Hun in Highway to Hell.
- Owen Wilson & Ben Stiller both starred in the Starsky & Hutch film remake, Zoolander, The Royal Tenenbaums, Meet the Parents, and Meet the Fockers.
- The line Ricky Gervais says to Ben Stiller about fooling him once shame on him is a direct quote from the infamous George W. Bush misquote.
- Owen Wilson's role as Jedediah was just supposed to be a cameo, but his character tested so well with the audience, they brought him back in and wrote him into some more scenes and gave him a bigger part.
- People who have seen this movie have gone to the actual museum, hoping to see exhibits from the movie.
- The 3D-effect opening titles is a visual spoof of the opening titles in Panic Room. Also, as in both of these movies, much of the premise is set in one location, with the exception for the opening and the end.
- There is a short moment in the theatrical trailer where Larry opens the OceanLife exhibit and is blown away from the burp of the whale on display there which does not occur in the film but exists only when Cecil, trying to evacuate from the museum, opens the wrong door and gets a water blast from the whale.
- Dick Van Dyke's dancing with a mop at the end of the film is a possible reference to Mary Poppins, which Dick Van Dyke also starred in.
- Larry makes a reference to a Genie's Three Wishes when speaking to Roosevelt. Robin Williams, who plays Roosevelt, played Genie in Aladdin.
- A tongue-in-cheek reference to Brokeback Mountain: Jed tells Octavius that he won't quit him.
- The item used by Jed and Octavius to let the air out of the van was a pilum.
- In the film, we discover that the statue of Theodore Roosevelt is not the actual man reincarnated but realizes that it's a statue. On the other hand, the statue of Sakagewea shows off signs of being the real Sakagewea and doesn't seem to know of her statue nature.
- A number of inconstancies arise with things breaking. When the T-rex statue comes to life for the first time it destroys the central podium looking for Ben Stiller's character. Later the podium returns to normal the next day.
- The writers almost certainly confused Attila the Hun with Genghis Khan. Attila the Hun was an early Germanic ruler and would not have worn the Asian style clothes shown in the movie.
- In the theatrical version, a boom mic is seen above the heads of Larry and Rebecca in the park when she is discussing Sakagewea. It has been noticed by many moviegoers, and seems to have been edited out of the DVD version.
[edit] Facts and Fiction
The museum has a different layout than the one showed in this movie. The tyrannosaurus rex is not at the main entrance, the Theodore Roosevelt statue serves as the Museum's main entrance lobby, and is home to the Barosaurus exhibit, the world's tallest freestanding mount of a dinosaur.
The African Mammals Hall does not have Capuchin monkeys like Dexter. This species actually inhabits South America and Central America. Being a bird, the ostrich also does not belong here.
Akhmenrah, his tablet, and coffin are fictional.[4] They appear to be loosely based on the legend of the Princess of Amen-Ra.[citation needed]
[edit] Reception
Night at the Museum was the highest grossing film in its opening weekend, grossing $30.8 million in 3,685 theaters. For the four-day Christmas holiday weekend, it took in $42.2 million.[5] The movie was also released in IMAX large screen format, often on site at museums of science or natural history such as the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.
In its second weekend, Night at the Museum expanded into eighty-three more theaters and took in approximately $37.8 million at the box-office, out-grossing its opening weekend. It maintained its #1 position in its third week, with an additional $24 million. In total, as of Monday, April 30th, 2007, the film has grossed $571,069,550, recently breaking the $250,000,000 million mark with $250,224,440 in U.S. ticket sales, and $320,845,110 in foreign box offices.[1]
Although strongly supported by family audiences and their children, the film was reviewed poorly by critics, receiving only a 43% at Rotten Tomatoes.[6] James Berardinelli of Reelviews commented on Stiller's performance by stating "It might be fair to give Ben Stiller an 'A' for effort, but to call what he does in this movie "acting" is a misnomer. He does a lot of running around, occasionally falling down or bumping into things."[7] One positive review by William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer stated that the film was "Out to impress and delight a family audience with the pageantry of human and natural history, and that's a surprisingly worthy ambition for a Hollywood comedy."[8]
In a case of life imitating art, museum officials at the New York American Museum of Natural History have credited the film for increasing the number of visitors during the holiday season by almost 20%. According to a museum official, between December 22 and January 2 there were 50,000 more visitors than during the same period last year.[9]
[edit] DVD release
The film was released on a 2-Disc DVD edition in the United Kindgom on April 2, 2007.
The film was released on 1-Disc and 2-Disc DVD editions and Blu-ray Disc format on April 24, 2007 elsewhere.
The film was the first non-Disney film to have a DVD review at the Ultimate Disney website. [10][11]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ MovieLocationsGuide.com. Night at the Museum Filming Locations. Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
- ^ Playfuls.com. Real And Digital Animals Star In New Films. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
- ^ a b Sun2Surf.com. Stiller shifts to the Museum. Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
- ^ scienceandthefiction.com. The American Museum Of Natural History -A Virtual Tour With The Help Of Larry Daley (Starring Ben Stiller) The Night Guard Of "A Night At The Museum". Retrieved on April 23, 2007.
- ^ BoxOfficeMojo.com. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. Retrieved on December 24, 2006.
- ^ RottenTomatoes.com. Night at the Museum (2006). Retrieved on January 7, 2007.
- ^ Reelviews.com. Night at the Museum. Retrieved on January 7, 2007.
- ^ SeattlePI.com. Shallow 'Museum' exhibits some appealing qualities. Retrieved on January 7, 2007.
- ^ ABCNews.com. Stiller's 'Night' Boosts Museum Attendance. Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
- ^ UltimateDisney.com. Non-Disney films to have DVD reviews at UltimateDisney.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2007.
- ^ UltimateDisney.com. "Night at the Museum" at UltimateDisney.com. Retrieved on April 24, 2007.
[edit] External links
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Nachts im Museum (2006) (Germany)
