Night at the Museum (2006)
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A night watchman at a New York City museum discovers that the exhibits come to life at night due to a magical artifact.
The story
Larry Daley, a divorced father and aspiring inventor, takes a job as a night watchman at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. While the museum is struggling financially, Larry is hired to replace several veteran guards. On his first night, he discovers that the museum's exhibits—ranging from dinosaur skeletons to historical figures—come to life every night due to the presence of an ancient Egyptian artifact. Larry must navigate the chaos of the living exhibits and find a way to keep them under control while managing his responsibilities as a father to his young son, Nick.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Larry Daley, a struggling inventor, becomes a night watchman at the American Museum of Natural History. He learns that an Egyptian artifact, the Golden Tablet, causes the exhibits to come alive at night. Larry must manage various figures, including a T-rex named Rexy, a mischievous monkey named Dexter, and historical figures like Theodore Roosevelt and Sacagawea. The conflict escalates when the veteran guards, seeking to fund their retirement, steal the tablet and frame Larry. Larry and his son Nick must navigate the museum to recover the artifact. During the chaos, Larry releases the mummy of Ahkmenrah, who helps them escape. After a confrontation in Central Park where the guards are apprehended, the truth about the magical exhibits is revealed to a museum guide. Despite the initial chaos, the publicity from the night's events leads to an increase in museum attendance, and Larry is retained as a guard.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Shawn Levy
- Writers
- Robert Ben Garant · writer; Thomas Lennon · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ben Stiller · Larry Daley; Carla Gugino · Rebecca Hutman; Dick Van Dyke · Cecil Fredericks; Bill Cobbs · Reginald; Mickey Rooney · Gus; Robin Williams · Theodore Roosevelt; Ricky Gervais · Dr. Leslie McPhee; Jake Cherry · Nick Daley
- Genres
- fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- fatherhood; history
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- magic; museum; time-travel elements
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial success, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2006.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.5 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 48 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Production trivia
- The film was the highest-grossing film directed by Shawn Levy until it was surpassed by Deadpool & Wolverine.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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