MEET DAVE
US, 2008, 90 ,minutes, Colour.
Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle, Union, Scott Caan, Ed Helms, Kevin Hart, Mark Blukas.
Directed by Brian Robbins.
This is a light and entertaining, rather unsophisticated comedy that has a wide appeal and is family friendly. It is Eddie Murphy doing his popular comic schtick, faces and voices (Doctor Doolittle, Nutty Professor) rather than his Beverly Hills cop, smart-mouthed heroics.
The premisses are familiar. It is a kind of benign War of the Worlds with a touch of ET – and the kind of fish-out-of-water comedy where a stranger lands in an American city and learns what it is to be in an unexpected culture and learn its customs and language – with lots of faux pas and pratfalls.
The planet Nill is short of water and a space-ship comes to Earth to drain the oceans – without regard to the fate of humans whom they consider large, gross and ignorant. These miniscule Nill invaders would be more at home in Lilliput. But, they have designed a space-ship that looks human, very much like Eddie Murphy, but their dress sense is stuck in a Bee Gees’ white suit 1970s time warp. Number 3 on the ship (Gabrielle Union) does a lot of googling but gets matters mixed. Number 1 (Eddie Murphy) is the captain and can see through the space ship’s eyes and speaks for the android while technicians move its arms and legs. This leads to some simple but humorous slapstick.
The Captain chooses the name, Dave. Dave encounters a cheery widow (Elizabeth Banks) with a young son who idolises Dave. Scott Caan plays a New York cop very open to the arrival of aliens. Ed Helms, meanwhile, plays the rather fascist and aggressive Number 2 who is ready to lead a mutiny.
Only 90 minutes, a smile and chuckly film, the humour is geared to be acceptable to parents looking for something suitable for the kids.
1.The broad appeal, unsophisticated? Family oriented? Enjoyable?
2.Eddie Murphy’s comedies, his serious roles, the blend of the comic and the serious here? The variety of his characters, impersonations?
3.The background of E.T., Crocodile Dundee, The War of the Worlds? The spoof elements?
4.The situation and New York, the sphere, coming through the window, Josh discovering it, taking it to school, the bullies taking it? His father as a dead hero? Himself as different? Needing a father figure? His mother being protective?
5.Three months later, the ship landing, the Statue of Liberty, Dave and his mission, the forty-eight hours, the sphere to gather up all the salt of the world’s ocean to help the planet Nill? Dave and his robot style, human appearance, his ability to recover after accidents, mimicry, learning?
6.The crew, the echoes of Star Trek, human while the ship was robotic? The captain as leader? Number Two and his fascist and suspicious behaviour? Number Three and her being in love with the captain? The variety of personalities in the crew? The technicians? The engineer? The captain and the eyes of the spaceship, giving voice to Dave, the various members controlling his mechanisms and behaviour?
7.Dave and his suit, explaining his name, the walk, his ability to imitate people, the smiles, the 1970s white suit, the impersonation of the Bee Gees, and ‘Staying Alive’? The Number Three and her Googling to find out information? His being hit by the car, Gina and her reaction, her foot askew, fixing it? Gina seeing him, welcoming him to the home, apologising, his whipping of the eggs, his drinking the ketchup?
8.His speech, robotic, stilted, the accent, the captain’s accent, the variety of phrases, not understanding metaphors? His mimicking Mark, the people at the navy clothes store?
9.New York, the people, the man in the street and sharing his blanket, Gina’s art, going to see A Chorus Line, the music in the store and its being very loud, the effect, the changes in the personnel, dancing to the rhythms of the music, imitating the camp style of A Chorus Line, discovering feelings?
10.Contemporary New York and A Chorus Line, the romance, African American and rhythms, the computer and the engineer with friends on MySpace?
11.Dave and his name, going to the school, the substitute, his confrontation with the bully? Going to the carnival, the rollercoaster, the hot dog competition and the toilet joke afterwards, bowling and his being knocked out, going to the hospital, needing recharging? Recovering, taking Gina to dinner, the drink and the crew and the alcohol? Learning to dance the salza?
12.Number Two, his suspicions, the attack, the criticism of the captain and feelings? The mutiny and imprisoning him? Three and her disappointment with the captain? Her change of heart, freeing the captain, getting the sphere, the arm holding the other arm from throwing the sphere?
13.Dooley and his partner, nice, making the cast of the landing space, the interview with Dave, the attack on the police station, the chase? The technician falling into the coffee mug?
14.Mark, the love interest for Gina, his warning Dave, at the end?
15.The shooting up of the police station, the finale and the threat to the oceans, getting back the sphere, the helicopters, their capturing the spaceship? The boot escaping and the group returning to Nill?
16.The focus on objective decisions about life through the robotics? The need for the contrast between feelings and thinking? The aliens and their discovering the delight in human nature and its humanity?
