Milan Trenc's whimsically illustrated "The Night at the Museum," about a New York Natural History Museum night guard who discovers the displays have a habit of doing the "Jumanji" thing once visitors go home, has been turned into a big, loud movie (minus the "The") starring Ben Stiller.

It's definitely a cute, workable premise, but as mishandled by director Shawn Levy (the "Pink Panther" and "Cheaper by the Dozen" remakes) and the writing team of Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon ("Reno: 911!"), the inspiration that was required to make "Museum" fly is seldom on exhibit in this interminably monotonous production.

As Stiller runs around an awful lot attempting to riff his way to something funnier, the rest of the able cast, including Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney, see their talents go sadly underutilized, playing second fiddle to all the busy visual effects.

Given its holiday placement and its family-friendly premise, the 20th Century Fox release will probably still shake enough bones at the boxoffice to keep Levy's streak intact, though the overall result unlikely will go down in any kind of history.

On a positive note, maybe it might have the pleasant side effect of boosting museum attendance.

The problematic pace feels off from the start, as Stiller's Larry Daley, a failed inventor of a divorced dad, competes with his wife's (Kim Raver) financial whiz fiance (Paul Rudd) for the affections of his son, Nick (Jake Cherry).

Seeking the help of an employment counselor (played by Stiller's mom, Anne Meara), he takes a menial job as a graveyard shift security guard at the Natural History Museum, but judging from the odd behavior of the trio of veteran daytime guards (Van Dyke, Rooney and Bill Cobbs), his first night on the job will prove to be anything but uneventful.

Larry's first clue is when the giant Tyrannosaurus rex suddenly goes missing, only to reappear, eager to play a game of fetch with one of its bones. By the time Larry catches on, the marble corridors are filled with marauding Huns (looking like they just stepped out of a Capital One commercial), mischievous capuchin monkeys, charging wildlife and out-of-control, unmistakably lifelike dioramas.

With the help of trusty Teddy Roosevelt (a subdued Robin Williams), Larry not only manages to restore order, but also his crumbling relationship with his son.

This is the kind of vehicle that would have been a natural for someone like "Museum" producer Chris Columbus, having directed "Home Alone" and "Harry Potter" installments and demonstrating an equal comfort level with both extensive comedy and intensive special effects.

But 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.

While Gervais has some amusing moments as Stiller's tongue-tied boss, the rest of the cast, also including Steve Coogan and an uncredited Owen Wilson, are never given the chance to really strut their humorous stuff.

Behind-the-scenes, production designer Claude Pare ("The Aviator") does a nice job filling those larger-than-life spaces, while costume designer Renee April has her sewing machine going full tilt with all that period wardrobe and Alan Silvestri goes back to his "Back to the Future" cues for his hyperactively dense score.