Meet DaveMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Meet Dave."

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Avg. Critic Score: 43 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 Iffy for 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    this unfairly maligned sci-fi comedy testifies that Eddie Murphy still has the gift of surprise. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    Aimed squarely at the same family audiences that flocked to Murphy's "Doctor Dolittle" comedies, this is a lightly amusing and surprisingly sweet Fox release. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    Isn't likely to win Murphy another Oscar nomination, but it allows him to do what he does best - loads of physical comedy. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    Eddie Murphy's amusingly out of this world in this otherwise tired vehicle. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    Though mildly amusing, Murphy's two characters in Meet Dave -- a wee captain and a humanoid spaceship -- neither tax nor stretch him. Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    The kind of bland, generic, high-concept midsummer comedy that drives a critic to the thesaurus in search of new ways to say "vapid." Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times |

    Pays lip service to the joys of exploring new worlds, but it never steps off the tour bus. Read full review

  • 40
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Dumbfoundingly erratic, for the most part, but smart and funny from time to time. Read full review

  • 38
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    If only the movie had heeded its own advice and tried to be different from the standard formula. Read full review

  • 25
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Murphy, teaming again with his "Norbit" director Brian Robbins, is assuming we'll all line up for lazyass toilet jokes and pay for the privilege. Prove him wrong, people, please. Read full review

View more reviews for Meet Dave on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 8+ Not as crass as Norbit, but as forgettable.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that although this Eddie Murphy comedy is mostly inoffensive, the alien characters display some off-putting stereotypes about gay men, women, and African Americans. The jokes aren't crass -- they're just cliched and stupid (for example, liking showtunes means you're flamboyantly homosexual, being black means you love rap, etc.). Otherwise, there's some scatological humor, a couple scenes of mild violence, some mild drinking and language, and a whole lot of product placements.
  • Families can talk about what humans teach the miniature aliens. How does being on Earth affect them? How do Gina and Josh change from knowing Dave? Discuss some of the stereotypical behavior in the film. Is it offensive or funny?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: On the one hand, aliens realize that Earthlings aren't all evil and worth destroying, and a timid boy acts courageously. But on the other hand, there are several off-putting sterotypes: After hearing a showtune, one alien exhibits flamboyant homosexual stereotypes; a female alien starts trashtalking about other women's weight; a black alien starts listening to rap, commenting on women's behinds, etc.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: "Dave" gets struck by a car, and his "ankle" looks broken. There's an armed takeover of the Dave spaceship and a shootout between Dave and the NYPD. An alien tries to destroy earth, but it's more comical than scary.
  • sex false0 Sexy stuff: Mild flirting, hugging, and one kiss. An alien remarks on a woman's behind.
  • language false3 Language: Mild: "damn it," "ass," etc.
  • consumerism false5 Consumerism: One scene is practically an Old Navy commercial; another takes place in an Apple store. There are several references to Internet companies like Google, Yahoo!, MySpace, etc. Other product placements include Heinz ketchup and the Broadway musical A Chorus Line.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adults have mojitos at a restaurant; aliens consume the alcohol that "Dave" drinks.
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