When I watched this movie, I was babysitting my brother, sitting on the couch in front of a fire, and enjoying some parts in this wax meet man movie. The key part in that last sentence was the some parts. But when I had to pause the movie to put my brother to sleep, I wondered to myself, out of everybody that came, he got the job. Mind you he didn’t even give them a resume! And apparently the elder night guards really judge people on their handshakes, and that must make them really screwed.

The main character is Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), who is a wannabe inventor that lives in New York and can’t get anything right. When he is on the verge of having to move again, and his ex says that he can’t have his son anymore until he settles in and gets a good job. That then encourages him to go to a workforce and meet a lady who then gives him the address to the Museum of Natural History with a job offering as a night guard.

When he gets there he meets Ciesel, an elder night guard who then praises him on his handshake. Then he meets the other two night guards, one that says he’s fought, and beat, many famous boxers, and another that is quiet. Then WITHOUT taking his resume, they hire him! Does that mean, even I could get the job?! Well anyway, he is then taken on a tour, gets his uniform and is supposed to meet them at the museum at 5 the next day.

When he gets back, uniform and all, they give him an instruction booklet, tell him not to let anything in or out. Larry agrees, sits down behind the counter and falls asleep. When he wakes up, he heads for the bathroom, stops, and notices that the T-Rex is missing. He then hears water running, and sees the Dino sipping water from the fountain. That is when his night of horror for him, some humor for us, begins. He meets some confederate soldiers, along with some union, firing at each other. Also a monkey smart enough to grab keys from his belt when he is on his shoulder. And even Theodore Roosevelt, who then gives him a small tour.

When the night ends, Larry has had enough of wax people, evil (and stupid) miniatures, and the evil Attila the Huns. He then tells Teddy that he is going to quit, finds out that he can’t, then starts to read up on his history to better understand the figures he is now looking after at night. When he starts again he thinks he will succeed, but in the end utterly fails when a caveman turns into dust. Gets fired, then gets re-hired for a second try, and comes back for the last time in the movie.

The last full night in the movie, he brings his son with to show him what happens each night. When the time comes for the figures to come to life, nothing happens. So to prove he isn’t crazy he goes to show his son the tablet, which isn’t there anymore. He then notices lights and a van down by the loading dock. When he goes to look, he finds Ciesel and the other two night guards, stealing artifacts, and the tablet. Then when his son turns the middle piece of the tablet, an all out war for the tablet begins. Larry meets the Pharaoh, and even stops Ciesel who was driving a train of horses with a stagecoach attached to it. In the end, he stops a robbery and proves he isn’t crazy, and even gets to keep his job.

The only things I wished was in it was if there was more history. For little kids who can’t read, they probably didn’t know that the head that kept wanting gum was an Easter Island head. Or that the guy everyone feared was actually Attila the Hun. It also doesn’t tell you much of anybody, just there names, or what was significant for their time period. The only person who actually gave some history about himself was Theodore Roosevelt, and it was just a beginning sentence to introduce himself. For littler kids, this would be a perfect movie, they wouldn’t understand it, they would just laugh and watch. For older kids and adults, you can watch it, but will seem very lame to you. But hey, if the little guys like it, I guess you have to watch it too.