Meet Dave

Surprisingly, Eddie Murphy earns a few hours out of the doghouse

By Matt Pais

Critic's Rating:

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Eddie Murphy, as surprised as we are that his movie is decent, in "Meet Dave" (Credit: 20th Century Fox)

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Tiny, human-looking aliens (Eddie Murphy, Ed Helms, Gabrielle Union) travel to Earth to suck the salt from the oceans to solve their planet's energy crisis. But the plan stalls when their spaceship—a full-size human named Dave (Murphy) operated by the miniscule beings inside him—befriends a widow (Elizabeth Banks) and her son and must understand human behavior enough to pass himself off as a non-alien.

Big question: Can Murphy recover from the unspeakable awfulness of "Norbit" and show that he still understands what is and isn't funny?

Catch it: Contrary to appearances "Meet Dave" isn't terrible, with several laugh-out-loud moments funnier than anything in, say, a month. Overcoming the unoriginal the fish-out-of-water angle, Murphy's performance finds something pleasantly goofy about an alien trying to emulate what's "normal" while erring just enough to slide into hilarious faux pas.

Skip it: If you'd prefer to steer clear of the reports inside Dave from Lieutenant Buttocks, who assesses a "small gas leak" that is "silent but not deadly." Who in Hollywood continues to insist that farting is the gold standard of comedy?

Bottom line: No, the premise doesn't quite work—why are the tiny aliens so mystified by beings that are just larger versions of themselves?—and a disappointing nosedive into sentimentality is the movie feebly grasping for family-friendly emotion. But sometimes a movie catches you in the right mood, and "Meet Dave" may be the right kind of silliness for those who passed on the smirk of "Get Smart" or the stench of "The Love Guru."

Bonus: The aliens responsible for Dave's all-white wardrobe learn that the look in fact only appears fashionable on the Bee Gees and the ice cream man. Though that doesn't excuse your local ice cream man for strutting around town, "Stayin' Alive"-style, like he owns the place.

What do you think of 'Meet Dave'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com

What other people are saying...

1 comment | Add Your Own

donpark1 from Philadelphia - August 26, 2008 at 7:46 AM

P.S. No one can say what IS and ISN'T funny. I loved Norbit and I bought the Blu Ray DVD. I think it was hilarious... "What did I tell you abou...

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