Sam Baily (John Travolta) is an average nice-guy security guard for the local Natural History Museum, however on losing his job he returns to the museum to ask for his job back.
However when he returns to the museum, the curator is showing a group of school children around and has no time for him - telling him whatever he says will not make a difference. Desperate, Sam snaps and takes the group hostage not meaning to ever cause any of them any harm whatsoever.
Cue Max Brackett (Dustin Hoffman), a disgraced journalist who has been given the boring uninteresting storylines for goodness how long by his editor. This time he is there at the scene when everything unfolds and is one of the hostages, thus getting the scoop of his career.
Soon the story is nationwide on live news channels across the country and it's all people can talk about. The story itself is the news, not the reason why or the real people behind it.
The two men form a bond of mutual need that will forever change the course of their lives.
A very good, and often funny and sad film about what happens when someone is desperate to achieve something that they are failing at.