Meet Dave

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union

MPAA Rating: PG

Release Date: 06/13/2008

Runtime: 90 min.

Director: Brian Robbins

Synopsis:

Dave Ming Chang (Eddie Murphy), newly arrived in New York City, may be the ultimate fish out of water. There’s something about him that’s not quite right – for starters, he seems remarkably out of place and uncomfortable in his own body. And for good reason: “Dave” is not a man at all, but a ship made in the image of its miniature-sized captain. It’s little Eddie in the BIG family MEET DAVE.

CMC Review: Written by Aaron Rodriguez

Political Agenda Alert. For the most part, Meet Dave is a kid oriented film with valuable lessons, but the overall message of the movie was compromised by an unnecessary interjection of Hollywood's gay agenda.

Dave is a composite android spaceship manned by mini-sized aliens reminiscent of the much celebrated space explorer "Star Trek." The purpose of their mission, if they choose to accept it, is to locate and ascertain large amounts of salt - a power source needed to save their home planet called Nil. As the storyline goes, earth's oceans provide a vast reservoir of salt, but if it were fully extracted, it would destroy earth in the process. One of the crew members, who likes to be called "Johnny Dazzle," comes out of the closet half way through the film after exposure to a Broadway Musical. The transformation is underscored by an awkward display of flamboyant behavior, cross dressing, and a complete makeover.

The film had many positive messages. In pursuit of their "orb" (an alien instrument for extracting the earth's salt), Dave meets Gina (Elizabeth Banks) and her son Josh (Austyn Myers). Gina is a single mother who tries to do good, but sometimes makes things worse as a result. For instance, in the beginning of the movie, she strikes Dave with her car as he tries to cross an intersection. Josh, however, is a kid bullied at school because of his small size. This has become a real problem for Josh. Not only does he feel small and powerless, but he also feels like he doesn't live up to the heroic image of his father, who served his country as a U.S. Captain. At a key point in the film, Dave reassures Josh that he is a giant (remember that Dave is a micro-sized alien), and that the most powerful force in the universe often comes from the smallest star. This moral lesson develops throughout the movie, and young Josh turns out to play a large role as a hero. Kids will be able to relate to this lesson and may learn that size isn't always so important.

In terms of humor, the film was funny at times, but not hysterical. Murphy engaged in toilet humor during parts of the movie, which made me wonder how much better the film would have been without it. In one scene, Dave's crew decides he needs to update his wardrobe to better reflect the current times. In an Old Navy dressing room, he proceeds to dispense dollar bills and coins from his anus like an ATM machine. It really wasn't funny, not even to children. In fact, my nieces (ages 4 and 6) were put off by the display. And in another scene, Murphy sharpens a pencil by inserting it into his nose. Again, it appeared they were trying a little too hard.

As expected, the glorification of drugs and alcohol were at a minimum - after all, this is a kid's movie. However, android Dave does have a few alcoholic drinks with Gina, Josh's mother. After the intake of alcohol, miniature crew members inside the humanoid ship get drunk and appear to enjoy it. This sequence didn't fit very well in the movie, nor was it appropriate for children. And although the sexual content was minimal, there was an scene in the beginning of the film where a couple was making out. There was an inordinate amount of time focused on this couple engaged in open-mouth kissing. Again, I felt uncomfortable watching it with my nieces, which provides a primer for my next point.

The film is not appropriate for children below 8 years of age. I made a mistake skimming the reviews of "The Dove Foundation" and "The Christian Spotlight," both of which gave the film a family approval rating. I have a difficult time fathoming how "coming out of the closet" scene meets the approval of Christian families. Despite some biblical parallels of "David and Goliath," the continuity of the film was interrupted by off-color humor and scenes inappropriate for Christian children.

Overall CMC Rating: 76/100

• Entertainment Value: 17/35
• Violence: 15/15
• Language: 18/20
• Sexual Content: 18/20
• Drugs and Alcohol: 8/10