Meet Dave
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Meet Dave is a 2008 American family comedy, directed by Brian Robbins and starring Eddie Murphy. The film was co-written by Bill Corbett (of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame) and Rob Greenberg.
Plot
In a New York City apartment a young boy named Josh Morrison (Austin Lynd Myers) watches through his telescope an approaching object coming from the sky. It is a golf ball-sized metal ball which flies through the window of his room and lands in his fishbowl, quickly draining the water. He keeps it and shows it at school in a science class presentation. Some months later, on Liberty Island a massive fireball crash lands. The fireball is actually a spaceship resembling a human (Eddie Murphy). It is controlled by 100 humanoid aliens, each one inch tall. Its captain (also played by Murphy and looking like Dave) pilots the spaceship along with his crew from inside its head. For people the spaceship seems fairly human, but odd and with superpowers. A superstitious cop named Officer Dooley (Scott Caan) is desperately searching for the alien.
The aliens are seeking a way to save their planet, Nil, from an energy crisis. For that they need salt, which they plan to produce by draining the Earth's oceans using the metal ball, so they have to recover it. Through a car accident in which the spaceship is hit by the car of Josh's single mother Gina Morrison (Elizabeth Banks), the spaceship befriends Gina and Josh, telling them it's name is Dave Ming-Chang and sees the ball on a photograph. After having breakfast with Gina, Dave goes to Josh's school where he pretends to be a substitute teacher, and eventually is able to talk to Josh alone. Josh tells him that the ball was taken from him by a bully. Directed to him by Josh, Dave takes the metal ball back from the bully.
The Captain spends time with Josh and Gina, and realizes that humans are more advanced than they thought, having feelings and love. He decides to cancel the plan of draining the oceans, because of the damage to the Earth.The police knows from the impression of Dave's face in the dirt on the crash site what he looks like, and they arrest him for investigation. After spending too much time on Earth most of the crew began to have different "feelings". Ei: Number 4, the security guard, begins to realize that he is gay. Number 2 (the second in command on the spaceship) decides that Number 1's and the rest of crew's changing behavior is unacceptable so he aggressively takes over command, and imprisons the captain. Now under the command of Number 2, Dave breaks out of the police station and the police try to arrest him again. Number 3 (Gabrielle Union) is secretly in love with Number 1 and becomes jealous of Gina. She first cooperates in the change of command, but later agrees with Number 1 but are caught by Number 2. Numbers 1 and 3 are both expelled from the spaceship, but manage to reenter it . In the meantime one crew member, Number 17 (Kevin Hart), drunk from the alcoholic drink Dave has taken, jumps out. Meanwhile, Number 1 apologizes to Number 3 for ignoring her. He admits that he does love her and wants to be with her. Back at the police station, Dooley discovers Number 17 in his coffee and takes him to find out information of where Dave is going.
Number 2 leads Dave to a dock where he tries to throw the metal orb into the ocean but, is stopped by Number 1 and Number 3 convinces the crew that the captain should be in charge again . The captain orders Number 2 to be stuck in the ship's "butt" forever The metal orb slips out of Dave's hand and rolls into the ocean. Number 1 attempts to retrieve the orb but is told that they only have enough power to retrieve orb or return home. Number 1 decides to save Earth and the rest of the crew agrees. The ball, thrown in the ocean by Number 2, is retracted. Dave powers down while Dooley and his partner catches him and threaten him with their guns. With no power, Dave have no shields leaving the crew vulnerable to the guns. Josh tries to tell the police officers that Dave is defenseless but he is ignored. He grabs Dooley's taser which he uses on Dave, recharging him. Number 1 and 3 reveal themselves to the police officers who stand down. Number 1 says goodbye to Josh and Gina saying he now understands love. Number 17 is allowed to enter Dave. While trying to fly away a large police group comes in and trap Dave in a net. While they wrestle the body down, it activates one of its rocket-propelled shoes as a lifeboat and detaches from the body to leave Earth. While in the shoe "lifeboat", Number 1 asks for Number 3's hand in marriage. She accepts, and they kiss. During the end credits, the aliens dance to Shining Star by Earth, Wind and Fire.
