Meet Dave

What stands out first about Meet Dave is the confidence with which Brian Robbins establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Meet Dave asks Eddie Murphy and Elizabeth Banks to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Meet Dave is established with useful clarity: A crew of miniature aliens operate a spaceship that has a human form. That direct approach lets Meet Dave use its 1h 30m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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What keeps Meet Dave emotionally readable is Eddie Murphy, whose choices establish a consistent point of view. In scenes with Elizabeth Banks, Meet Dave gains tension from two performers refusing to produce the same kind of energy. Gabrielle Union contributes a separate rhythm to Meet Dave and helps the supporting material feel less purely functional. The direction by Brian Robbins gives the cast of Meet Dave room to connect the quieter beats with the larger ones.

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The plot of Meet Dave is built around the uneasy relationship between Earth and the central character. For Eddie Murphy, that relationship gives Meet Dave an emotional objective stronger than simple forward motion. The screenplay associated with Rob Greenberg lets an important relationship reshape the direction of Meet Dave in stages. Although the treatment of a difficult choice could be sharper, Meet Dave never entirely loses the thread established at the beginning.

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The craft of Meet Dave is defined by performer rhythm, supported by performer rhythm rather than overwhelmed by decoration. Twentieth Century Fox gives Meet Dave a production framework in which comic timing built around character can remain connected to story. Made from a United States production context, Meet Dave uses setting and design to clarify mood before dialogue has to explain it. The technical finish of Meet Dave works because image, sound and editing appear to be serving the same immediate purpose.

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Brian Robbins gives Meet Dave a directorial line that is uncertain about tone and dramatic emphasis from its opening promise to its final movement. The staging of Meet Dave is strongest when Brian Robbins allows motivation to determine pace instead of reversing that priority. Viewed as a complete piece, Meet Dave confirms that isolated moments suggest a more compelling version across most of the running time. A tighter version of Meet Dave would address how events happen without gathering enough dramatic force, yet the surrounding work remains persuasive.

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Meet Dave finds additional purpose in its examination of embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Through the performance of Eddie Murphy, Meet Dave makes that examination feel personal before it becomes broadly symbolic. The idea of Earth repeatedly returns Meet Dave to the cost behind its more visible developments. Brian Robbins is most persuasive when Meet Dave allows the theme to emerge from an uncomfortable choice rather than polished dialogue.

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Meet Dave ends as a film for only the most curious members of its likely audience, especially for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. What remains from Meet Dave is the relationship between Eddie Murphy, performer rhythm and Brian Robbins's control of mood. The weakness that events happen without gathering enough dramatic force narrows the impact of Meet Dave without cancelling its better work. On balance, Meet Dave gives its intended viewers a distinctive experience rather than a completely anonymous piece of content.