Ebullient Adams Helps Smithsonian Soar
I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing, absolutely nothing at all, that Amy Adams cannot do as an actress. The two-time Academy Award-nominee has proven her prowess in drama (Doubt, Junebug), comedy (Charlie Wilson’s War, Enchanted) and the in-between (Sunshine Cleaning), yes, but can she elevate an otherwise sub par film upon her svelte shoulders and elevate it to a higher, almost magical plateau? Is she reason enough by herself to warrant seeing a motion picture, her almost magical magnetism worth the price tag of a matinee admission?
Amy Adams takes off in 20th Century Fox's Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
In the case of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian you bet you’re bottom dollar she’s worth it and than some. Make no bones about it, Adams, portraying legendary flying ace Amelia Earheart, nothing more really than star Ben Stiller’s cagey, energetic sidekick, steals this sequel to the popular but forgettable 2007 hit with slapdash ease. The moment she comes onscreen you can’t take your eyes off of her, delivering a gutsy, rapturously refined performance of elegance and bravado that’s a beguiling hoot.
The rest of the movie is nothing more than a slightly more dramatic rehash of the first film, only this time writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (Balls of Fury) actually supply former museum security guard Larry Daley (Stiller) an honest to goodness villain (ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Kahmunrah, whimsically portrayed by the always interesting Hank Azaria) and a semi-valid reason for all the hullabaloo (the end of the world is theoretically involved). It’s incredibly thin, doesn’t bother trying to make a lick of sense and isn’t concerned with being close to practical, and if you have problems with any of those items I strongly suggest staying as far away from showings as humanly possible.
Of course, the happy-faced pre-adolescent target audience isn’t going to have an issue with any of that at all, and more than likely they’ll be pleased as punch by all the hyperbolic theatrics. The Smithsonian Museums and the Capitol Mall become overrun with miniature bobblehead Einsteins, rampaging Egyptian warriors, slap-happy monkeys, giant squids, boy band Cupids, gigantic Abraham Lincolns and warmongering diorama soldiers. There is daring-do, kid-friendly sight gags and even a little bit of – Ewww, Gross! – kissing between consenting adults, all of it presented in away not to offend or provoke discussions of just about any kind.
Personally, this would normally not be my cup of tea. I didn’t care for the first Night at the Museum for many of those same reasons, and for the life of me I never did fully understand why it became quite the box office sensation that it did. I didn’t find it exciting and, even with its all-star cast, I didn’t think it was particularly funny, director Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther) seemingly throwing everything he could think of at the screen in desperate hope some of it would stick.
He and the rest of his team pretty much use that same tactic this time, too, but thanks to a few winning moments (those Einsteins are a hoot, and so are the Cupids) and some nice comedic touches (Stiller and Jonah Hill shine in their one scene together, while Bill Hader’s General Custer is a giggly treat) I can’t say that fact bothered me all that much. The film knows how silly it is, embraces that fact even, Levy and company going for a slapdash feeling of mirth and mayhem that’s admittedly difficult to despise.
Than there is Adams. For me, she puts the film over the top. Way over. This is one of those paycheck performances in a throwaway movie where the actor decides to forgo sleepwalking through the project and instead deliver the goods almost as if she were shooting for an Oscar. When she’s in a scene the movie comes alive like it never did before, her go-for-broke attitude as refreshing as it is infectious.
Without her, Battle of the Smithsonian would have been nothing more than a reasonably forgettable time-passer. With her, the film doesn’t just take off, pardon me for saying it but sometimes, yes sometimes, it actually soars.
Film Rating: êê1/2 (out of 4)
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