ScreenWize

After his disastrous last film Norbit, Eddy Murphy seems to have learned a few lessons. In Meet Dave he has reduced the number of characters he plays from three to two and has a much more coherent approach to squeezing the laughs out of the audience. Murphy didn’t write or produce this one and seems more relaxed behind the camera, but the film is still no match for his earlier work like Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places and tires quickly after a strong start.

The premise is simple and a wonderful vehicle for Murphy to play the bemused alien, grappling with the strange customs of earth’s inhabitants. Sent from the remote planet Nil, Murphy plays the Captain of a spacecraft on a mission to save his own planet from extinction. The people of Nil are small – very small - and have ingeniously decided to make their spaceship the shape and size of a man. With the help of the miniature Star Trek-like crew (who operate arms, legs, buttocks, mouth and everything in between) the spaceship becomes Dave (Eddie Murphy), the aliens’ interface with humanity. After crash landing near the Statue of Liberty, Dave bumps into Gina (Elizabeth Banks) and her son Josh (Austyn Myers), and before long has the excuses he needs to visit Gina’s apartment and Josh’s school where the film’s comedy is at its best. As Dave slowly adjusts to the strange social customs on earth Police Officer Dooley (Scott Caan) investigates his suspicious behaviour and the small crew on board begin to fall under the spell of human irrationality.

Director Brian Robbins – who also directed Norbit – has also learned some lessons and keeps much tighter control over his cast – although they’re mostly written as comic stereotypes. Murphy is wonderfully awkward as the mannered Dave, grinning wildly in ignorance as he makes a complete fool of himself in front of perplexed on-lookers, but is less successful as the straight Captain. There are plenty of silly jokes throughout and no gross-out pranks, making this a suitably family-friendly film. Dave – who comes to earth dressed in white – is no match for the sci-fi comedy Men In Black, but will pass for an amusing trip out in the school holidays.

Rating:

Filed Under: Reviews by Simon