Adams, in contrast, is more like a fantasy version of the famed aviator, wise-cracking and jaunty, a pint-sized Katharine Hepburn in jodhpurs and a leather jacket.
"She has this great unnerving way of staring at Ben until he's uncomfortable, and Ben Stiller is really funny when he's made uncomfortable, whether by Robert De Niro or a monkey," Levy said. "Amy's figured out if you stare at him in a vaguely judgmental way, he starts to squirm and get funnier."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, May 03, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 29 words Type of Material: Correction
"Imagine That": A photo caption in today's Calendar for the movie "Imagine That" misidentifies the girl who plays Eddie Murphy's daughter as Bobb'e J. Thompson. She is Yara Shahidi.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, May 10, 2009 Home Edition Sunday Calendar Part D Page 2 Calendar Desk 3 inches; 122 words Type of Material: Correction
Summer Sneaks: 1. A photo caption last Sunday for the film "Imagine That" misidentified the girl who plays Eddie Murphy's daughter as Bobb'e J. Thompson. She is Yara Shahidi. 2. A photo caption for the film "The Hangover" said the film would open June 12. It opens June 5.
3. An article about the film "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" misidentified actress Emma Watson, who plays Hermione, as Emily Watson. 4. An article about the movie "Angels & Demons" said it was adapted from the Dan Brown novel that had preceded the author's "The Da Vinci Code" on bestseller lists. The novel's publication did precede "The Da Vinci Code," but it did not hit bestseller lists until after "Code" did so.
In the scene being shot this night, Adams and Stiller are trying to break into the National Air and Space Museum but their path is unexpectedly blocked by Ivan the Terrible's henchmen. The heroes are hiding behind what seems to be a bus shelter.
"We've been jimmy-jacked," Adams said with exuberance.
"Jimmy-jacked?" said Stiller, his character stunned by the odd colloquialism.
"It's the way I speak," she sputtered.
"Yeah, but it sounds made up, even for you."
For a micro-scene that occupies maybe a half-page of dialogue, there were two setups and many, many takes, as Adams pirouetted through the scene, tossing off variations of line readings: sincere, mocking, sarcastically robotic, and what apparently ended up in the movie -- "lax deadpan reading with a hint of Valley," Levy joked.
Stiller's trajectory was more subtle -- as the takes progressed (all accompanied by Levy's high-energy encouragement) he slowly warmed from a slightly shut-down disbeliever to a bemused but ultimately game dance partner. Stiller ad-libbed, tinkering to find the perfect comedic zone.
Levy noted it's not accidental that so many of "Night at the Museum's" players are either writers or master improvisers: Stiller, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais. . . . "We will revise the scenes every day until we wrap," Levy said. But there has to be an initial script. "Ben believes he can't improvise well until the scene is good, otherwise there's too much pressure and everyone is tight."
Still, nothing trumps on-set spontaneity -- even the special effects shots that take months to execute. "We get to the day, and we're looking at the scene and Ben might go, 'It will be funnier if I do it this way' -- I turn and see a half-dozen laptop-bound visual effects technicians go white because they know all our preparation, all the prep and pre-visualization has just become irrelevant.
"But this is a comedy," Levy said jovially. "Everything has to be slavish to the laugh, not the spectacle."
