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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

PG for mild action and brief language

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The Story

Some time after the first “Night at the Museum” movie, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) finds unlikely success by starting his own business selling lame inventions on infomercials, but the money doesn’t make him happy. Back at the Museum of Natural History, all of the exhibits are being packed up and shipped to the Smithsonian Museum for long-term storage, replaced by computer-generated holographic displays.

Then Larry gets a call from Jedidiah Smith (Owen Wilson). Apparently the villainous Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), brother of the benevolent Ahkmenrah from the original, is trying to steal the magical tablet that brings museum artifacts to life and unleash a horrible army from the underworld.

Larry springs to action, sneaking into the Smithsonian to find the tablet and rescue his friends. Along the way he picks up a sidekick, the infectiously peppy Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams). The misadventures abound as half the Smithsonian comes to life, including gangsters, items from the Air and Space Museum, and all kinds of art.

Content Issues

God’s name is used as profanity a few times, and there’s lots of mostly slapstick adventure violence. Larry and Amelia do some kissing, and we hear a couple of silly over-tots-heads sexual references. Also, the tablet is based on some kind of Egyptian magic, and the bad guy wants to call forth an “army of the damned” from the underworld.

Worldview Talking Points

The first “Night at the Museum” movie was a big hit with families back in 2006, and we’d expect this one to do well with kids, as well, though it might be a tad less fun for parents.

It’s largest worldview message has to do with Larry’s realization that he was happier as a night security guard hanging out with all of his historical friends than he is as a rich and successful businessman. It forces him to question what being successful really means.

Of course, all of the history coming to life in this story may open up some opportunities for conversation about history, art, and science. Our hope is that a few of the worldview questions below would also lead to a chance to talk to your son or daughter about issues of treasure.

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