Stiller's reactions make for funny 'Night'

Moviegoers will love the film's special effects.
By NANCY CHURNIN
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Ben Stiller, king of the PG-13 gross-outs since "There's Something About Mary," dials it down to a PG for the kids in "Night at the Museum." And the kids should love him for it, not to mention their parents. Because it's still Stiller doing what he does best -- reacting to crazy things and crazy people around him.
Inspired, like the 1995 "Jumanji," by a picture book, "Night at the Museum" fleshes Milan Trenc's slender tale into a thrilling look at what happens in New York's famed Museum of Natural History when its exhibits come to life at night.
This comes as a bit of a shock to Stiller's Larry, a divorced, job-challenged dad who takes a nighttime security guard position to provide stability in the life of 10-year-old son Nicky (appealingly played by Jake Cherry). And it proves to have its dangers as he gets shot at by miniature Maya warrior figurines, chased by Attila the Hun, pelted with fire by Roman soldiers, hunted by lions, shot at by Civil War soldiers and tied to a railroad track by cowboys as a train steams full speed towards his head.
In a neat education-affirming touch, Larry realizes he needs to know more about his charges to handle them, so he goes to the museum bookstore, where he discovers useful gems, such as Attila's weakness for magicians.
Tension builds
The dramatic tension builds when the former night watchmen, played by acting pros Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs, try to steal the ancient Egyptian tablet responsible for all the museum's nocturnal magic.
Shawn Levy, director of the unapologetically low-brow "The Pink Panther" remake and "Cheaper by the Dozen," fills frames with kid-pleasing moments -- a gray Easter Island head (voiced by gravelly Brad Garrett) that likes to pop bubble-gum bubbles on its stony face, a miniature Roman figurine (Steve Coogan) and miniature cowboy (Owen Wilson) riding off to the rescue together in a miniature motorized car.
The special effects are a blast -- that really does look like a T-Rex skeleton clattering down the hallway after a terrified Larry. But even better is the remarkable, star-studded ensemble. Robin Williams aptly segues from his lead in "Jumanji," in which game characters came to life, to a mentoring role here as Teddy Roosevelt, who guides Larry to find his own greatness. Stiller's mother, comedienne Ann Meara, gets him the job. Wilson, with his good-natured cowboy swagger, is, as always, a hoot. And stick around for the closing credits if you want to see Van Dyke dance.
The film will also be shown in IMAX theaters.