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Meet Dave begins after a massive fireball from space hits New York's Central Park and a seemingly ordinary man emerges unscathed.
The
man turns out to be a spaceship operated by 100 human-looking aliens
who are a few millimetres tall and seeking a way to save their planet.
However, things soon get complicated when their ship becomes smitten
with an Earth woman (played by Scrubs / Zack & Miri Make A Porno's Elizabeth Banks).
At
this point the film cues the "fish-out-of-water confusion" with the
various things humans encounter on Earth every day: cats, big cities,
walking, tomato sauce, pop culture, fashion and of course love are all
alien to Dave.
Now the biggest problem of Meet Dave
isn't that the jokes are childish and lame, because they are meant to
be. The problem is that the trailer and marketing lead us all to
believe that a movie like Meet Dave isn't aimed at four year olds.
And the simple fact is - it is aimed at four year olds.
In
that regard, the latest 'G' friendly flick from Eddie is a complete
success. It's the sort of kids movie they used to churn out ad nauseum
in the late '80s and early '90s. In a pre-Shrek era where kids movies were made solely for the minors without the 'Over Their Heads Jokes For The Parents'.
That said, there are going to be a lot of disappointed adult movie goers expecting the "comedy" supplied in Norbit or The Nutty Professor, who are likely to leave the cinema feeling more cheated than they did after forking out to see the debacle that was The Happening.
There
simply aren't enough good adult or teen laughs delivered here (besides
the odd Google or Bee Gees gag) to deliver a truly enjoyable family
film. Had the audience range been broadened even slightly director
Brian Robbins might have had a hit on his hands, because there is quite
a lot of potential in this good, if not slightly over-used and oddly
familiar, premise.
Murphy is somewhat (and purposely) underused,
only occasionally allowing his true comic potential to seep through.
Even for a kids movie he never quite comes off as likable enough in the
same way Arnold Schwarzenegger or Robin Williams have succeeded in
similar robotic "Love... What is this Love?" sort of roles.
Add
to that the fact there seems to be a lack of chemistry between all
involved, and you are pretty much left with a kids film which gives off
a rather cold vibe to what should be undeniably heartwarming.
The intentions are good and had Meet Dave
not had the hefty budget or big name cast, this plays out as a
perfectly serviceable straight-to-DVD flick for the littlies. And,
let's face it, considering how poorly the movie did at the Box Office
(it's one of Murphy's biggest failures ever... take that Pluto Nash!).
But
for those of us not obsessed with The Wiggles and making our DVD
purchasing decisions based purely on the trailer and synopsis, Meet Dave is pretty underwhelming.
Surely we are due for something a little more Beverley Hills Cop and a little less Doolittle sometime soon. DVD EXTRAS
When a film does as badly as this (despite taking in $50 million
worldwide at the Box Office, it still came in over $10 Million shy of
recouping it's budget) you can't really expect to much from the Extras
department.
All that's included here is a short Cast Confessions Featurette which really won't ruin or make your day.
But
really, what else do you expect? Eddie's a busy man - he doesn't have
time to make DVD extras... there are to many pools of money to swim in!
Conclusion:
Movie 50% Extras: 10%
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