it's got nothing to recommend it except maybe that actor in a frogman suit clinging madly to a giant uvula
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
Meet Dave is one of those films that will get a bad reputation based on the trailers but it actually generated a few chuckles from my end and was not a complete waste of time.
This sci-fi romp seriously skimps on the sort of wacky comedy that should have flown liberally from such an inspired premise.
Cynics may expect the worst of another Eddie Murphy vehicle involving extraterrestrials -- insert joke about The Adventures of Pluto Nash here -- but that only makes Meet Dave all the more pleasant a surprise.
Though the story starts off as a mess and only gets worse, there's some solid physical comedy.
Murphy's best moments here only remind us of "Coming to America," another fish-out-of-water story. These days, Murphy seems like a fish out of water as an actor on screen.
Dumb jokes, cheap special effects and Murphy's mugging add up to an eternity in 92 minutes.
It's comedy that doesn't ask anyone, onscreen or in the audience, to try too hard.
This gimmicky, one-note comedy takes a well-deserved place in the pantheon of Murphy mega-bombs.
In Meet Dave, family-friendly as a Fourth of July picnic, Murphy and Norbit director Brian Robbins redeem themselves with a performance and scenario that might have been developed for Steve Martin.
Better material and more adept direction might've made this a perfectly solid commercial enterprise.
Meet Dave. Or don't. Eddie Murphy doesn't particularly seem to care one way or the other.
No matter how many laughs Murphy and the gang manage to squeeze out of this concept, there's still the story which, couldn't possibly be more poorly executed.
Contrary to appearances Meet Dave isn't terrible, with several laugh-out-loud moments funnier than anything in, say, a month.
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.
Heralding a return to form for Eddie Murphy, this cleverly conceived and executed sci-fi comedy offers plenty of laughs for all ages.
Latest News for Meet Dave
January 21, 2009:
Razzies Name 2008's Worst Movie Nominees
No awards season would be complete without the Golden Raspberry Awards (AKA The Razzies), awarded each year to the very worst movies to hit Hollywood. This year's winners will... More...
September 02, 2008:
RT's Summer in Review: The Best, The Worst, and Our Favorite Films!
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:
Moviegoers Refuse to Meet Dave ![]()
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...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
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