the movieGOOMBA

When was thinking of what to rate this movie, I started thinking of other movies to compare it to in order to figure out where this movie landed on the goomba scale, but I couldn't really think of any. Strange. My good friends who constantly have to sit with my sometimes crazy movie choices complained about how this movie was like every 'something comes to life' flick ever made; except it had Ben Stiller in it. So why couldn't I think of something to compare it to if its like every other 'something comes to life' flick ever made? "What is this movie like?" I thought. Its like Jumanji, but less scary and less clever. Even then, it feels wrong. I felt like it was one of those stupid comedies that Ben Stiller does (you know what I'm talking about) except without the sexual or gross overtones, which automatically changes the genre.

Anyway, Night At the Museum is about Larry Daley, a father who struggles to maintain some stability in his life for the sake of his son. A divorced man, he shares custody with his ex-wife who is married to a bond trader on Wall Street. Unable to compete with his son's stepfathers success, Larry takes a job as a night watchman at New York's Natural History Museum. Watching the trailer, you already know that things come to life at the museum, and the cast is remarkable. Mickey Rooney, Dick Van Dike, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, and of course Ben, all in one movie. Pretty cool, but so not fresh. I really think Ben Stiller ruins the movie.

The way the artifacts come to life and the trouble that they get themselves in is quite creative; however, the creativity stops there. I think this movie had a lot of potential, but its follow through is pretty bad. Maybe they fell into the budget trap where they spent all their money on the special effects, which are pretty amazing, but left nothing for the actual writers. ::shrugs:: What is it that's so bad about this movie? I can't quite put my finger on it, but it might just be Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller's usual trademark on screen persona kind of gets in the way of the whole fantasy, family genre thing the movie tries to go for. Its like this movie was meant for kids, but as a last minute decision, they made it for adults.

I'm not really a kid critic, so I have no idea if children will think different. I'll interview a kid and get back to you. Maybe through the eyes of a 7 year old this movie is pretty awesome. Why else would The Goonies or The Neverending Story be classic goombas? For now, standby for the kid's reply, but as an adult critic, I think you should pass. Don't worry, you'll thank me.