Night at the Museum
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: December 22, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
15
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
For all its dazzling computer-generated sequences, "Museum'' wouldn't be nearly the delight it is without the talents of some of the best comedians in the business. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Stuffed with smart performers doing graciously silly work, and all Levy has to do is manage traffic. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
A fantastic holiday toy that, amazingly enough, doesn't require batteries. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Wonderfully energetic. Read full review
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
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! Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Drawn from a children's book by Croatian illustrator Milan Trenc, this fantasy isn't exactly heavy, but its ideological implications are interesting nevertheless. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The truly bizarre Ben Stiller farce, Night at the Museum, is no laugh riot, and misfires all over the screen, but it develops its own unique charm and leaves a pleasant afterglow. A family audience could do worse for a comedy this holiday season. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Night at the Museum ends up being a pretty fun all-ages comedy -- if you can survive its first 20 minutes. Read full review
63
PremiereLaine Ewen
After a slow start, this feel-good family film is a nice postcard from the Big Apple that may benefit New York and the Museum of Natural History as much as it does 20th Century Fox. Read full review
58
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
The sad truth is that the film squanders almost all of its inspiration in the first 20 minutes or so. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
What a dull, nice movie, wrenched from a wild premise and battered into docility. Read full review
50
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
The first half-hour's too slow; the last half-hour's too manic, as if to compensate. But at least it entertains, thanks in large measure to the buddy-pic relationship between Owen Wilson's miniature cowpoke and his Roman pal Steve Coogan. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Though the premise is clever -- everything comes to life at night in New York City's Natural History Museum -- this movie doesn't make the best comic use of the concept. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
This loud, overlong and thoroughly exhausting fantasy, based on Milan Trenc's slim children's book, purports to introduce youngsters to the wonders of New York City's American Museum of Natural History, but in fact aims squarely at hyperactive kids who can't sit still or stand a moment's silence. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Night at the Museum takes a can't-miss comedy premise and misses by a country mile. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Strands several generations of performers in a highly derivative script and hackneyed direction. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
With a cast featuring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Ricky Gervais, one has a right to expect something amusing from Night at the Museum. Oddly, not only is the movie unfunny, but it rarely tries for laughs. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
If the filmmakers had a script half as good as their special effects, Night at the Museum would be a must-see. Read full review
50
Film ThreatZach Haddad
The premise of Night at the Museum is definitely a bit more creative than the standard family films we are used to at this time of year, but the problem is that the film is marred with many gags that are outdated and therefore feel cheap. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen Holden
This season's answer to "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," it's an overstuffed grab bag in which lumps of coal are glued together with melted candy. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Director Levy struggles to find a uniform pitch that would agreeably blend together the gags, the visual effects and the obligatory heart moments. In its absence, there's a stop-and-start hollowness that confuses noise and chaos for comic energy. Read full review
40
VarietyJustin Chang
This rambunctious, "Jumanji"-style extravaganza is a gallery of special effects in search of a story; rarely has so much production value yielded so little in terms of audience engagement. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
The bulk of the movie is a series of sight gags and set pieces that wreak much havoc but little else. Read full review
40
EmpireKim Newman
This energetically charmless 'family' fantasy lies there dead on screen, occasionally twitching at a funny line. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Stranded in this charmless fantasy, Stiller is reduced to his old halting, squirming tricks. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
This movie is made by and for people who don't care about good storytelling. Read full review
33
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Stiller's continued efforts to court the broadest possible audience has taken the edge off his comedy. Whenever he shares screen time with Williams, it looks like the grim future he's mapping out for himself. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleShawn Badgley
Watching Williams as Teddy Roosevelt ogle through binoculars Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck) while she stalks around a glassed-in display like some hippie chick in a buffalo-skin straitjacket after a bad trip at Woodstock ’94 makes me sad and uncomfortable. Read full review
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