[thumb:8:l]Maybe you didn’t know, but it seems a little known American tradition after Christmas dinner with family and friends, once the presents are open and out of the way, is to go to the movies. So for the last few years a few movies have opened on Christmas Day to capitalize on the family desire to see Something at the Cinema.

This year two opened: Night at the Museum and Black Christmas. A quick Fandango later showed only 9 theaters currently playing Christmas, while Museum was playing in almost 40 in the area, so the family and I decided to hit Museum.

Night at The Museum is not the blockbuster laugh riot that you might expect from Owen Wilson or Ben Stiller. Truthfully, it’s meant to capitalize on X-mas and is exactly what its title reflects: a night out.

The movie stars Ben Stiller playing a divorcee dad who is constantly in and out of jobs, trying to take care of his son while dealing with his ex and her new boyfriend. He eventually gets an offer from a temp agency to take over as a night guard at the New York Natural History Museum. Little does he know, at night, for the last fifty years or so, since an ancient mummy and his tablet were brought to the museum, everything in the museum comes to life at night. As the new watchman he literally has to watch the museum, keeping everything in it under control and making sure it’s in order for the next morning.

The movie isn’t horrible – it’s cute and decently funny with actors like Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams playing big roles, but this movie is really carried on its star power and slightly impressive costuming and special effects.

As I initially stated, Night at the Museum is a means to cash in on the holidays and the Christmas post-celebration movie tradition. This is a decent family movie that kids will enjoy while still being mildly entertaining for adults.

Check it out if you have the money or wait for it on rental. Either way you’ll probably enjoy it, but you won’t miss much not seeing it now.

Posted in Movies |