In the 2006 Night at the Museum, Ben Stiller is a divorced dad in need of a gig, lest his cutie-pie kid (Jake Cherry) wind up spending all of his time with uptight bond-trading New Dad (Paul Rudd, wasted in a straightlaced cameo). So Stillers Larry takes a job as night watchman at the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, where things go bump in the night thanks to an Egyptian trinket that animates stuffed mannequins and waxworks, whatever. The first half-hours too slow; the last half-hours too manic, as if to compensate. But its the first outing from director Shawn Levy that actually entertains, thanks in large measure to it being essentially a buddy-pic, with Owen Wilson as a miniature cowpoke and Steve Coogan as his Roman counterpart. (Outdoor movie screened at dusk.) (PG) ROBERT WILONSKY
Wednesdays. Starts: July 29. Continues through Aug. 19, 2009
