NATM2 Crushes ‘Terminator’ at Box Office
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian was the box office champion over the Memorial Day weekend, grossing just over $70 million in four days according to official box office results. That $70m bested the cume of the other wide openerTerminator Salvation that has grossed $65m since its Thursday opening.
Ben Stiller
I caught NATM2 and thought it was an effective film, though at time suffered from “sequelitis” with some of the plot points (how does Jedidiah know how to use a telephone?). I’m also not a fan of how Stiller’s Larry decides to recognize his Museum friends at the end of the movie (I’m sorry, that was just not believable - even in a movie where the museum comes to live).
Some of the new characters such as those from Hank Azaria and Bill Hader really brought something to the table, though I can’t say much for Christopher Guest or the actors playing Napoleon or Al Capone. The extended version of Jonah Hill’s scene with Ben Stiller continues to impress and is a highlight of the movie.
The shining star of NATM2 was Amy Adams, radiant in her role as Amelia Earhart. Her 1930’s-era slang was a treat to hear, though it was strange that hers was the only character to speak in “native” era language. But, for a movie like this, best not to think too hard about such things.
Ben Stiller jittered and jabbered his way through another museum and overall does a nice job holding things together. Better is the way that Ben always seems to find work for his comedian friends including numerous familiar faces we won’t spoil here. Once again, Owen Wilson’s Jedidiah is a fun character and there’s something about his energy that just seems to “work” with Ben Stiller, even if the two did not actually perform together. Wilson has several funny lines, including the penultimate joke in the movie.
So, we’re giving this one 3 beermugs. A fun time, and definitely something good for the kids. But this isn’t the thinking-man’s comedy and obviously not quite to our traditional Frat Pack tastes. For that, we’ll have to wait for Todd Phillips’ The Hangover or see how potentially Frat-friendly films like Land of the Lost orFunny People play.