Historic museums are packed with exhibits from all periods in history. Many of those exhibits look like they could be life-like, especially the wax figures, and most of the animals were real at one point and time. So what if everything came to life at night? How cool would it be? “Night at the Museum” takes that idea and runs with it.

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a dreamer, but when his ex-wife (Kim Raver) tells him he needs to buckle down for the sake of their son Nick (Jake Cherry), he goes look for a regular job. What he finds is a job as a night guard at a natural history museum. He’s replacing three older guards who choose to throw him into the deep end of the pool, by just letting him guard one night with only a small handbook.

How hard could it be since it’s a quiet museum… more difficult than he could ever imagine. As soon as the sun sets, everything comes to life. Larry has exhibits that are trying to eat him and others that would like to tear him limb from limb plus there’s one little monkey that loves to steal his keys.

After the first night, Larry’s ready to hand in his flashlight. However, the need to please his son and a pep talk from Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) forced him to rethink his plans to quit. He comes back with a better attitude, but still runs into problems.

Larry has to gain the trust and support from his charges in order to keep his job and stay in his son’s good graces.

“Night at the Museum” puts together some of the funniest men in the business including Stiller and Williams, but then there’s also the older funny men Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney. It’s hard not to find them tickling your funny bone.

But sticking to comedy versus bringing in a serious storyline was difficult. “Night at the Museum” likes to mix the experience at the museum along with the dramatic subplot of Larry’s home life. The ex-wife and son were the gatekeepers to Larry getting into the museum, but it should have stopped there.

Stiller finally has a movie where’s he’s funny and relatable without relying too much on being stupid funny. The material worked well for him. While Stiller is “Night at the Museum’s” star, the ensemble cast that supported him more than held their own.

Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan play a miniature cowboy and a Roman solder, respectively, who don’t get along. The way they played off one another was hilarious. “The Office’s” Ricky Gervais also makes an appearance as the museum head. He’s not the greatest boss on Earth, but he’s more than funny with his signature deadpan humor. But there’s another co-star that provided plenty of entertainment: Rexy the T-rex.

“Night at the Museum” is nothing short of adorable and amusing. It’s has its own charm that will win over the audiences that it’s aimed at. It’s a kid’s movie at heart and very family friendly, although, there are plenty of jokes that are aimed at the adult crowd. If you’re a moviegoer looking for something more highbrow, this isn’t the movie for you. Have a little imagination and believe that the museum really could come to life. There’s also a little education to be had.