EVERYBODY has guilty pleasures...Godiva Chocolate, reality TV, Ben and Jerry's, gin and tonic, all of these at the same time, whatever. Sometimes we are even made to feel guilty over a pleasure that is not indulgent or embarrassing. Over the last day, I have discovered that Night At the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is a made-to-feel-guilty pleasure. But, I sit here proudly in my workout clothes (for which there is no workout in sight...) and say, "Nay. I defy you to watch that movie and tell me it was not fun!" In fact, I will go further, and assert that this movie was more fun than the last.
Gasp. I hear that taken aback silence. I hear you snickering. Ok, now I hear your outright laughter. So, sue me. It was fun. Allow me to present my evidence:
1. Ben Stiller is a quality leading man. He is funny, handsome, and can legitimately deliver a straight line. He was good as the schlep guard in the first movie, and he is good in this film as the newly-confident businessman. He actively convinces us of his character, demonstrates how his character has matured since we saw him last, and wins us over with charm, good looks, and genuine affection for his museum friends.
2. Amy Adams is a star. First off, she is talented. Second, she is beautiful. Third, she's in practically every scene of this movie, and rocking it. Her staccato delivery of her olde-tyme language is convincing and bizarrely natural. Her soft smile and bouncy hairdo are disarming and sweet. Her enthusiasm for her character is solid and contagious. She's got that "goget'em, girl" attitude and we're buying.
3. The writing was solid. The jokes were a combination of subtle and over the top in a movie that was visually over the top. The plot, though obviously (and intentionally) implausible, was straightforward and clear. The writers didn't give us a convoluted story line, overfilled with backstory. The plot was linear, sensible, and as far as fantasy premises go, rational.
4. The visual gags were worth it. Let's face it, there was a lot going on in this movie. But if you've ever been to the Smithsonian, it feels like there's a lot going on there, too. The Smithsonian has often been referred to as the nation's attic. The visual atmosphere of the movie complemented that notion beautifully. Things were random, yet not unpredictable. Funny, but not totally ridiculous. Would you not believe there's a giant squid specimen in the Smithsonian? Sure. Would you not believe that you could see a mummy, Archie Bunker's chair, and a taxidermied hippo in one day were you to tour the museums? Sure. It works. The Wright Brothers eating freeze-dried NASA ice cream is funny. The original actors from the Apollo 13 cast having cameo roles as launch technicians in the Air and Space Museum is funny. Bringing crappy souvenir dolls to life as rocket scientists is funny.
5. This was not a movie about stupid gags. This was not about turning the corner in a museum to be terrified by a screeching T Rex. This wasn't about silly Jim Carey faces or bodily function jokes. This was an entertaining movie about a guy and his friends saving the world from a power-hungry villain. It happens that it was not violent, didn't have foul language or sex, and happens to be rated PG. It happens that some of the heroes are animated mannequins or miniatures, sure, but that's not what the movie was about.
So, I will be shouting from the rooftops that I had fun at Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. It's not my favorite movie of all time or anything, but I didn't feel ripped off, either. I was promised an entertaining, escapist, comedy, and Museum delivered on that promise.
And, by the way, "pitchy" cupid Jonas Brothers ARE FUNNY.
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