Jim's 'Go or Don't Go' - Night at the Museum 2

I can't really say that I was a fan of the first Night at the Museum, so I wasn't expecting much when Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian showed up in our mailbox from Netflix. I've always liked Ben Stiller, going way back to his short-lived comedy show on Fox in the 90s, so I'm willing to give pretty much anything that he does a chance.

Stiller's character, Larry Daley has left his job as the museum night watchman and has become a succesful, yet unhappy TV infomercial inventor. He returns for a visit to his old job and finds that many of the exhibits that magically came to life in the first film are now being packed up and sent to the basement of the Smithsonian, in favor of more "exciting" interactive displays. He rushes off to Washington DC to rescue his museum friends from a terrible fate of inanimate crate storage.

That's about all you really need to know - the plot is not really important, and not really that good. This is a harmless, silly family movie. It has a nice message about doing what you love, and in its own overblown Hollywood way, tries to make museums more appealing to children. At times, I think the Night at the Museum movies are actually propoganda films for the National Association of Museums, or whatever organization a museum would belong. Look kids! ... history is alive and exciting!

The thing that kept me interested in this film was the great cast and cameos by some really funny actors. Shortly into this sequel, I noticed that I was laughing more than I did in the first film. Granted, not a very high bar, but nevertheless. The saving grace of this movie is that there are some genuinely good performaces. Amy Adams is delightful as a spunky Amelia Earhart. She delivers her lines like she fell staight out of a 1930's romantic comedy. And Hank Azaria steals the show as the lispy, Boris Karloff-inspired Kahmunrah villian. We watched his "Do Not Touch!" scene three times.

There is a long list of talented people in this movie. Some are wasted, but for the most part, there's some really funny stuff here. It kind of reminded me of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a silly movie from the sixties with a ridiculous plot that was filled with top-notch actors and comedians of the era, doing what they do best.

So, in summary, this was not a very good movie, but I enjoyed it, (at times) if that makes any sense. I'm recommending bits and pieces, but not the whole film. Maybe I should have given you the times in the film when the noteworthy scenes appear, but then again, I don't have that much free time on my hands. You're on your own. I say "Go."