I am not an admirer of Ben Stiller's comic talents, nor of the movie work of Robin Williams. I volunteered to take my 7-year-old grandson out for an afternoon, and this was on the agenda. My worst fears initially appeared justified, as we were served a large helping of the Stiller charm-challenged schlub. When the museum chaos started early I steeled myself for another hour of nonstop slapstick mayhem and mugging.
Wrong.
The movie had a plot, and it was not a bad one. And Stiller was very funny in several scenes. The treat, though, was Robin Williams, who gives a restrained but authoritative and even somewhat touching portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt. An uncredited Owen Wilson's Jedediah's interactions with Steve Coogan's Octavias were a sly pleasure.
Hey, I laughed, my grandson laughed. No swearing or nudity, lots of movie references for the cinephiles. Ben, all is not forgiven, but you kinda won me over in this one.
Wrong.
The movie had a plot, and it was not a bad one. And Stiller was very funny in several scenes. The treat, though, was Robin Williams, who gives a restrained but authoritative and even somewhat touching portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt. An uncredited Owen Wilson's Jedediah's interactions with Steve Coogan's Octavias were a sly pleasure.
Hey, I laughed, my grandson laughed. No swearing or nudity, lots of movie references for the cinephiles. Ben, all is not forgiven, but you kinda won me over in this one.