In "Night at the Museum," Ben Stiller plays Larry Daley, a divorced dad who has trouble bringing his many moneymaking schemes to fruition. Pressured by his ex-wife to find a job or lose custody of his 10-year-old son, Daley finds work at New York's famed Museum of Natural History, where he is tutored in security by three outgoing guards (Dick Van Dyke, Bill Cobbs and a scene-stealing Mickey Rooney). The old codgers are definitely up to something, and when the doors are locked for the day and the sun goes down, Larry discovers what they didn't tell him: At night, all the stuffed animals, dioramas and mannequins -- even the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in the front hall -- come to life and run amok.

So Larry finds himself chaperoning the world's most surreal play date, as the dino insists on playing fetch, an Easter Island sculpture asks him for "gum-gum," a monkey steals his keys, Attila the Hun tries to rip him apart and Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), when not shouting "Bully!," gives Larry chaos-management advice (something about men either being born great or having greatness thrust upon them).

The plot thickens, but mostly "Night at the Museum," which has been competently if not inspiringly directed by Shawn Levy, is all about those eye-popping scenes of lions, zebras, Civil War soldiers, Christopher Columbus and Sacagawea committing sundry acts of mayhem and mischief. It's a fun ride, and the big payoff -- that history turns out to be way cooler than its reputation suggests -- is even more gratifying. Bully!

-- Ann Hornaday (Dec. 22, 2006)

Contains mild action, profanity and brief rude humor.