Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

The gang's all back. Everyone from the original house of history returns to drop some knowledge in Washington D.C.'s Smithsonian. I watched the first film with my entire family, which includes three kids ranging in ages from teen to toddler - we all loved it. The colorful characters ripped straight from the history books, mixing fact with fiction and laughing with learning. The chaotic storyline that feels like most of the dialogue was adlibbed on the fly. The sequel brings more of the same, upgrading the cast with some great actors from "The Simpsons" regular Hank Azaria to the Oscar-nominated Amy Adams to "SNL's" highly underrated Bill Hader. The plot is frenzied with herky/jerky chase scenes and goofy showdowns with convenient and tidy resolutions. Ben Stiller has this character down and as always, interacts with his supporting cast like a seasoned skit performer. The cast is almost too large with some characters getting lost in the shuffle or reduced to cameos. It is almost as if Stiller just invited all his friends to stop by and play dress-up, but it works. Azaria (playing three parts), Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Christopher Guest and Hader as a hilarious General Custer turn in memorable scenes, including some extremely quotable lines. This marks the second time in film history where Abe Lincoln and Napoleon share the screen - the first was in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." Give it a rent for that historical reference alone.