MasterChugs Theater: 'Night at the Museum'

Teachers waste a lot of breath attempting to make history come alive, when all they need do is deploy a team of special-effects wizards and costume designers. In the coyly hilarious Night at the Museum, Tyrannosaurus rex roams the earth once more, Teddy Roosevelt rides anew, Attila the Hun returns to the warpath, Lewis and Clark retrace their famous expedition, and cowboys in a diorama spring to life to win the West again; however, for all its dazzling computer-generated sequences, Museum wouldn't be nearly the delight it is without the talents of some of the best comedians in the business. The Friars Club is about the only place you'd expect to find Mickey Rooney, Dick Van Dyke, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson and Britain's Steve Coogan and Ricky Gervais together.

Wilson and Coogan make an engaging double-act as miniature models of a western pioneer and Roman general (respectively), warring every night over territory, and quite possibly stealing the show (along with a line from a certain infamous cowboy movie). Gervais is also titter-worthy as the David Brent-alike museum director, an individual who has scenes that are small marvels of inarticulate blither. Together with Stiller's manic turn--literally spanking a monkey in one priceless scene--they keep things ticking over nicely. Then eventually the plot kicks into top gear with Larry recruiting the exhibits to foil a robbery attempt. Despite a couple of half-hearted romantic subplots and earnest messaging on the virtues of doing your homework, this trip to the museum ends up being unusually fun-at least, for anyone over the age of 12.

Best of all, the troika of retiring guards who advise Larry on his appointed nightly rounds include Bill Cobbs, Dick Van Dyke, and the unstoppable Mickey Rooney, who at this point resembles the world's oldest, angriest troll. Van Dyke is still limber enough to remind us of sitcom ottomans past, and Rooney just has to enter the frame and fix Stiller with beady eye to provoke helpless laughter. That's right, I didn't stutter--Mickey Rooney lives!

Showcasing a glittering array of comedy talent from Ben Stiller to Ricky Gervais, Night At The Museum is a rare family treat. After directing the tragically unfunny Pink Panther remake and equally awful Just Married, Levy puts faith in the actors and resists the impulse to hammer the jokes into extinction. It feels disjointed in places, but Stiller ably carries the burden as the nervy night watchman, who tussles with the exhibits that spring to life at closing time.