Meet Dave 2008

Critics score:
20 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Better material and more adept direction might've made this a perfectly solid commercial enterprise. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: The key image is a close-up of Murphy's gleaming choppers, but aside from that the movie is toothless. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Dumbfoundingly erratic, for the most part, but smart and funny from time to time, especially when Mr. Murphy, in the pseudo-person of the spaceship, tries to imitate earthling behavior. Read more

Ted Fry, Seattle Times: [An] unremarkable sci-fi gagfest. Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: It's comedy that doesn't ask anyone, onscreen or in the audience, to try too hard. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Murphy appears to be on the verge of cracking himself up. This is good news. At least someone found him funny. Read more

Sam Adams, Los Angeles Times: Meet Dave pays lip service to the joys of exploring new worlds, but it never steps off the tour bus. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: When will Eddie Murphy think as highly of his talents as we do? Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: It's a silly kid's movie, nothing more. But for some, this may be a chance to meet Eddie. Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: It's kind of sweet, innocent almost -- kid-friendly in the best sense. Read more

Tim Grierson, L.A. Weekly: Better than average but not worth phoning home about. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Murphy may want to disappear whenever he can, but if he let loose some more, he might not need a facade to hide behind ever again. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: There are some laughs here and there, but this is badly edited hack work. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: It's not all that funny. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: In Meet Dave, family-friendly as a Fourth of July picnic, Murphy and Norbit director Brian Robbins redeem themselves with a performance and scenario that might have been developed for Steve Martin. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: This is made-for-TV material dressed up by Eddie Murphy's participation into a theatrical release. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: Meet Dave alone may not radically change the course of Eddie Murphy's drooping career. But it is, at least, a little olive branch held out to his audience. And that's better than Nil. Read more

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: Director Brian Robbins keeps going for easy laughs. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Even as timewasters go, this is a waste of time. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: The summer popcorn flick manages to deliver more than the standard sci-fi send-up, thanks to a solid supporting cast -- most of whom come from TV -- that help bolster Murphy's average work. Read more

Drew Toal, Time Out: Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: Even for a high-concept, lowbrow summer release Meet Dave is drab, shoddy work. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: The lackluster title hints at the dull, witless and hackneyed story. Read more

Joe Leydon, Variety: Cynics may expect the worst of another Eddie Murphy vehicle involving extraterrestrials -- insert joke about The Adventures of Pluto Nash here -- but that only makes Meet Dave all the more pleasant a surprise. Read more