Meet Dave pays lip service to the joys of exploring new worlds, but it never steps off the tour bus.
Meet Dave (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:95
Fresh:18
Rotten:77
Average Rating:4.1/10
Consensus: Easy gags and slack direction drag this occasionally clever alien-out-of-planet comedy down to unimaginative lows.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for bawdy and suggestive humor, action and some language.
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Jul 11, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $11,644,832
Synopsis: Actor-turned-director Brian Robbins (VARSITY BLUES, THE PERFECT SCORE) is at the helm of comedian Eddie Murphy's alien adventure, MEET DAVE. Murphy stars as the minuscule captain of an alien... Actor-turned-director Brian Robbins (VARSITY BLUES, THE PERFECT SCORE) is at the helm of comedian Eddie Murphy's alien adventure, MEET DAVE. Murphy stars as the minuscule captain of an alien spaceship that lands on Earth in the shape of a human being that looks just like him. The tiny crew is responsible for making the spaceship look and act like a human being as they search for a powerful orb that went off course and landed in Manhattan. Along the way, the captain--aka Dave--is befriended by Josh (Austyn Lind Myers), a fifth-grade boy who is being raised by his artist mother, Gina (Elizabeth Banks), since the death of his heroic Naval officer father. Although Dave and his crew land on Earth believing that the human race is inferior, they soon realize that there is something to be said for emotions, feelings, and friendship. The fun in this film lies in watching the spaceship Murphy try to assimilate as a human. His exaggerated facial expressions are priceless, and his skill at physical comedy is apparent throughout the film. Dave is a sponge soaking up everything around him. The crew's attempts to understand human culture are also amusing, as they get most of their cultural information from Google and Yahoo. Gabrielle Union stars as No. 3, the cultural officer, while Ed Helms is No 2., the second in command who thinks that his captain is adapting to Earth way too easily. Kevin Hart is No. 17, the crew member charged with dealing with many of the spaceship's internal functions. [More]
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union, Scott Caan
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union, Scott Caan, Ed Helms, Kevin Hart
Director: Brian Robbins
Director: Brian Robbins
Screenwriter: Rob Greenberg, Bill Corbett
Producer: Jon Berg, Todd Komarnicki, David T. Friendly
Composer: John Debney
Studio: 20th Century Fox
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Release:
Nov 25, 2008
Reviews for Meet Dave
As in too many of his recent films, he comes off as a pampered superstar going through the paces of an unending ego trip.
The summer popcorn flick manages to deliver more than the standard sci-fi send-up, thanks to a solid supporting cast -- most of whom come from TV -- that help bolster Murphy's average work.
The new film is mildly amusing family entertainment, but when discussing the career of one of our most seasoned comic actors, "mildly amusing" can only be regarded as a letdown.
This is made-for-TV material dressed up by Eddie Murphy's participation into a theatrical release.
Like an awkward party guest who hopes you will be charmed by his earnest effort to overcome his lack of social graces, and just when you're on the verge ... he belches loudly and rudely - and expects you to think he's both cute and funny.
Director Brian Robbins keeps things moving along briskly and maintains a genial air throughout; all that plus an air-conditioned theatre makes Meet Dave a good bet for family viewing.
There's a delicious irony to the way in which this supposedly heartwarming comedy gives the impression of having itself been devised by a race of extra-terrestrials with only a tentative grasp of what constitutes heart or humour.
Not much about Meet Dave is memorable, so I'm having trouble remembering.
There are other things that Meet Dave is better than... like famine, disease and genocide... but not by much.
it's got nothing to recommend it except maybe that actor in a frogman suit clinging madly to a giant uvula
With a lazy script that uses the cheapest gags and most obvious plot points, this is yet another big Hollywood movie that squanders a strong premise on a badly undercooked vanity project.
It's kind of sweet, innocent almost -- kid-friendly in the best sense.
Unless you're a die-hard Eddie Murphy fan, there's no reason for you to 'Meet Dave,' a substandard comedy that should have gone straight to DVD.
Latest News for Meet Dave
January 21, 2009:
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September 02, 2008:
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The summer movie season of 2008 ended last weekend, and boy, was it a good one. Led by box office smashes like Iron Man, Wall-E, and The Dark Knight, Hollywood raked in the... More...
August 12, 2008:
2008: Fox's Cruel Summer ![]()
For the first time in over a decade, Fox has made it into August without producing a $100 million summer hit. More...
July 15, 2008:
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Buried in bad reviews and ignored by moviegoers, Meet Dave will go down as one of the biggest flops of the summer. How did it happen, and what's next for Eddie Murphy's career? More...
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