Go to a real museum instead

Had I been born in the late-'90s, wallowing in the boredom of an extended recess from the trials and tribulations of my third-grade workload, I might have found something more in Shawn Levy's "Night at the Museum." Something beyond the countless underdeveloped B stories, a virtually unused Ricky Gervais and plot hole after plot hole The film is far from the best of the year, yet I can't help but realize that it served its purpose: entertaining an audience that doesn't keep tabs of how many dead ends a story can create within itself and possess a supporting cast that leaves their parents almost triumphantly exclaiming: "I bet the kids don't even know who that is."\nIn the film, Ben Stiller plays Larry Daley, a divorced parent who can't land a job, keep an apartment or earn the respect of his son. Daley, in need of stability, finds his way into the night guard position at the Museum of Natural History via the unemployment office. Because of a suffering budget, the museum is forcing its current three guards, played by Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs, into retirement and replacing them with one sole watchman. After some apprehension, Daley accepts the job with his son in mind. The three former guards aren't quite ready to give up their post, and Daley must rise to the occasion if he is to save the museum, impress his son and get in good with the museum's receptionist.\nWith an ensemble that ensures any film a box-office safety net, the cast doesn't disappoint in that they showed up to work. Robin Williams is relatively flaccid in his portrayal of a love-struck Teddy Roosevelt, as Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan do little more than pass the time as the battling miniatures Jedediah and Octavius. \nStill, I can't call "Night at the Museum" a complete waste of time. It is no cinematic masterpiece, but that is far from the film's goals. It simply exists along with a myriad of other family movies that might not wow film critics but still serve to entertain children and keep their parents awake. If the option is available, however, I'd suggest using the money that would be spent on a night at the movies on an actual trip to a museum.