A robot pulls the arm off a slot machine. A man runs into a robot pulling a taxi-cart and knocks it over causing the robot to malfunction and the passengers to fall back out of the cart. A female robot slaps a male robot in the face. People are threatened with guns in several scenes, and a man verbally threatens a woman for information. Directed by Ron Underwood. With Eddie Murphy, Jay Mohr, Randy Quaid, Rosario Dawson. In the future, a man struggles to keep his lunar nightclub out of the hands of the Mafia. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) Soundtracks. Soundtrack Credits. Blue Moon Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart Performed by Art Hodge and 40 Watt Hype. They're Moving Father's Grave Arranged by John Powell Performed by Jay Mohr. So Fresh, So Clean (Stankonia Remix).
Eddie Murphy Misfires as Brother from Another Planet
Meet Dave
Rated PG for action, suggestive humor and mild epithets.
Running time: 90 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Film Review by Kam Williams
Poor (0 stars)
In 1984, John Sayles directed The Brother from Another Planet, a thought-provoking, sci-fi comedy about an alien who washes ashore at Ellis Island and makes his way to Manhattan where he does his best to blend in because he's being chased by a couple of bounty hunters who had followed him to Earth. Aside from being hilarious, what made that screen classic worthwhile was its touching on a timely theme in a meaningful manner.
For the film's protagonist was an escaped slave who looked exactly like a black man. However, he had been persecuted back on his planet not on account of his skin color but rather because he was born with only three toes on each foot.
Ironically, his effort to survive in New York City was complicated by his having to accommodate himself to an unfamiliar form of prejudice, namely, American racism. Sayles' overall aim was to make a subtle statement about bigotry of any form by showing how silly it would be to divide people into minority groups based on the number of their toes or along the lines of any other arbitrary physical characteristics.
Almost a quarter century later, we now have Meet Dave, a sci-fi adventure which borrows Brother's basic premise, while conveniently ignoring the movie's more cerebral aspects. The dumbing-down is no surprise since it stars Eddie Murphy who is again directed by Brian Robbins with whom he successfully collaborated last year on the equally brainless Norbit.
The familiar-sounding storyline starts with the crash of a human-looking spacecraft played by Eddie Murphy next to the Statue of Liberty (instead of on Ellis Island ala Brother). But we still get the idea that we're dealing with the theme of America as a melting pot and a land of opportunity.
The rocket, we learn, is being operated by 100 tiny aliens under the command of a Captain also played Mr. Murphy. He guides the vehicle to Manhattan where the movie morphs into the kind of fish-out-of-water comedy we've seen countless times before, from Crocodile Dundee to Mr. Deeds to Elf to Enchanted. This repeatedly recycled scenario revolves around a na've newcomer who must survive a series of ordeals on the mean streets of the city.
At this juncture, the plot thickens when Dave is hit by a car driven by Gina (Elizabeth Banks), a widowed-mom with a heart of gold. When she then brings the odd fellow home to recuperate, her precocious young son, Josh (Austyn Myers), immediately picks up on the fact that their guest isn't normal.
For example, Dave defecates dollar bills and sharpens pencils by sticking them up his nose. Plus, he can be very literal, such as the occasion on which he shoved everything to the floor when asked to clear the table. These eccentricities don't prevent Gina from developing a crush on innocent Dave, which simply cannot be reciprocated since he's a machine after all.
Forget the love story, this is a flick to be savored for its asinine slapstick, the sort of infantile poop and fart fare likely to keep the tykes in stitches for ninety minutes. Besides Brother from Another Planet, Meet Dave shamelessly steals bits made famous by a few other films, such as In and Out's coming out scene (’I'm Dave Ming!’ instead of ’I'm gay!’), and Chris Rock's unsuccessful hail of a taxi from Down to Earth (’What, an alien can't get a cab in this town?’ instead of ’I'm a black man again!’)
All in all, this unoriginal, derivative disaster is the worst sci-fi comedy since, well, since Eddie Murphy made The Adventures of Pluto Nash.
Related Links
Dreamgirls (2006)- Reviewed by Michael Dequina
http://aalbc.com/reviews/dreamgirls1.htm
Dreamgirls Movie Review by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/dreamgirls.htm
Eddie Murphy Interview on AALBC.com
http://aalbc.com/reviews/eddie_murphy.htm
Norbit Film Review
http://aalbc.com/reviews/norbit.htm
(2002) (Eddie Murphy, Randy Quaid) (PG-13)
| Alcohol/ Drugs | Blood/Gore | Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude | Frightening/ Tense Scenes | Guns/ Weapons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | None | Extreme | *Minor | Extreme |
| Imitative Behavior | Jump Scenes | Music (Scary/Tense) | Music (Inappropriate) | Profanity |
| Moderate | None | *Heavy | *None | Moderate |
| Sex/ Nudity | Smoking | Tense Family Scenes | Topics To Talk About | Violence |
| Heavy | Mild | Minor | Minor | Extreme |
- QUICK TAKE:
- Comedy/Action: After a lunar-based nightclub owner refuses to sell his place to the local mob and then sees it destroyed, he sets out to discover who's responsible and finds himself involved in a gangster's plan to take over the moon.
Seven years later, Club Pluto is a hopping place that Nash runs with his associate, Miguel (MIGUEL A NUNEZ, JR.), and gets protection from his vintage model, robotic bodyguard, Bruno (RANDY QUAID). Pluto's doing so well that he offers first-time moon visitor and aspiring singer Dina Lake (ROSARIO DAWSON) a job waiting tables so that she can make money and return to Earth.
On her first day of work, local thugs Morgan (JOE PANTOLIANO) and Kelp (VICTOR VARNADO) approach Pluto with an offer from the mysterious Rex Crater and his right-hand man Belcher (JAMES REBHORN) to buy his club for $10 million. When Pluto turns them down, they blow up his place and then repeatedly try to kill him. Against the protests of his concerned mother, Flura (PAM GRIER), Pluto then sets out to discover who's responsible and get his revenge.
With Dina and Bruno in tow, Pluto gets info or help from the likes of ex-cop Rowland (PETER BOYLE), body alternation specialist Dr. Mona Zimmer (ILLEANA DOUGLAS), smuggler Felix Laranga (LUIS GUZMÁN) and even video chauffeur James (JOHN CLEESE) as he makes his way across the moon and towards Crater's swanky casino resort.
- WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
- If they're fans of Murphy or anyone else in the cast, they might.
- WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
- For violence, sexual humor and language.
- CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.
(Note: The 'Our Take' review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).
Sexually related dialogue and innuendo are present, as are various scantly clad women (some Vegas style showgirls wear thong bottoms that show most of their bare butts), while a male robot becomes aroused by shapely (and scantly clad) female robots and a man is noted as having two identical wives (one being a clone).
Various characters drink and/or smoke, and the villains all have bad attitudes for repeatedly trying to kill various people (and succeeding with others via shootings, with some humans and androids being killed). Other violence includes laser gun battles, fistfights and struggling, threatening behavior, explosions and property damage, and other deaths (but no blood or gore from any of them).
It's possible some of those scenes and another where people run out of air in their spacesuits could be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers, but most are played in an action-adventure fashion rather than as standard suspense. Finally, some imitative behavior is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.
- Tony pours Pluto a drink and the latter later agrees to have a drink with some men to talk about a business deal (we don't see that).
- People have drinks in a club.
- When Morgan informs Pluto that Rex Crater does not like to be disappointed, Pluto says that they'll have to send him a case of scotch.
- Pluto's partner has Dina take a tray with liquor on it up to Pluto. Nash then makes a martini by popping an olive into his mouth and then taking swigs of gin or vodka and vermouth from the bottles, swishing it around inside his mouth, and then swallowing it.
- A motel clerk might have a drink.
- A man appears to have a beer in front of him.
- Pluto orders Bruno to get them some beer and sandwiches (but that doesn't occur).
- Pluto pours some champagne for himself and Dina (with a video chauffeur stating in disbelief that he's going to get her drunk and have his way with her), but she's fallen asleep when he returns with it.
- We see a flashback of a mob figure telling a female reporter that if she wants to ask him questions, they should sit down with a bottle of wine.
- Felix drinks from the bottle and others around him drink.
- People have drinks during a Vegas style show.
- Various people have drinks in a club, including Tony and his two wives.
- None.
- Rex and his various minions have bad attitudes for trying to take over the moon and killing people to do so.
- We hear that Pluto was formerly incarcerated for smuggling.
- Some thugs threaten harm to Tony for not paying back a 'loan.'
- Morgan litters by throwing his drink cup to the street.
- A body altering specialist breaks the law and accepts a cash bribe from Nash to get around police requirements.
- Pluto and Bruno steal a vehicle so that they and Dina can drive across the moon.
- Felix admits to being a smuggler/criminal.
- Scenes listed under 'Violence' could be tense to some viewers, but most are played in an action-adventure fashion rather than as standard suspense.
- With their 'car' destroyed and their air supply running out, Pluto and Dina (along with Bruno) find themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere and the two humans eventually collapse from lack of air in their spacesuits (they're later rescued and are no worse for the wear).
- Futuristic handguns/Explosives/Rocket Launcher: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill people and androids. See 'Violence' for details.
- We see a man carrying an old handgun in an old film on TV.
- Phrases: 'You see where this sh*t got you?' 'Hot sh*t,' 'Piece of sh*t,' 'Piss' and 'Take a leak' (urinate), 'Idiot,' 'It's like a damn freak show,' 'Screw you, robot,' 'Who the hell is this guy?' 'Doofus,' 'Bitching' (complaining), 'Kick ass,' 'Smart ass,' 'Balls' (testicles), 'Bitch' (female dog), 'What the hell/is that/are you waiting for/is the matter with you guys?' 'Big ass,' 'Save your ass,' 'You bastards,' 'You sick bastard,' 'Crazy ass,' 'You're a freak,' 'Suck,' 'Come over there and put my foot in your fat, grease ball ass,' 'Jackasses,' 'Dumb ass,' 'Get the hell out of here' and 'Hairy ass.'
- Some women wear midriff-revealing tops.
- Morgan litters by throwing his drink cup to the street.
- Nash makes a martini by popping an olive into his mouth and then taking swigs of gin or vodka and vermouth from the bottles, swishing it around inside his mouth, and then swallowing it.
- Pluto and Bruno steal a vehicle so that they and Dina can drive across the moon.
- Bruno gives some villains 'the finger.'
- None.
- A heavy amount of action/adventure style music plays in the film, but only a tiny bit of suspenseful music does.
- None that we heard, although a song has lyrics that couldn't be understood, thus offering the possibility of it containing potentially objectionable material.
The Adventure Of Pluto Nash Slot Machine Scene Maker
- At least 16 's' words, 2 slang terms for breasts ('t*tties'), 20 asses (1 used with 'hole'), 6 damns, 6 hells, 3 uses of 'Oh my God' and 1 use each of 'G-damn,' 'God,' 'My God' and 'Good God' as exclamations.
- A woman shows some cleavage in one scene, and in another, some women wear various forms of revealing clothing that show cleavage and bare bellies.
- We see a moving visual ad for a Vegas style showgirl in a flashy bikini-type outfit.
- Miguel informs Pluto to check out a woman's 'ass.'
- Dina shows some cleavage.
- After a man states that Bruno is an old android model, Bruno mockingly states that the man's sister didn't seem to mind.
- Pluto's partner has Dina take a tray with liquor on it up to Pluto and she asks if this is the sort of 'send up the new girl' type of thing and that adds that she doesn't do that sort of thing (but the guy says there's no need to worry).
- Pluto and Dina - posing as a couple to get info - go to see a body alteration specialist (in a shop that shows a neon-like sign that forms the outline of a shapely woman alternating with an out of shape one). That woman then shows projections of what their bodies could look like. Accordingly, we see shots of both of them (their heads on other bodies) that show them in small bikini-style underwear (with cleavage for her) and then as bodybuilders in similarly small attire. Pluto then repeatedly jokes about Dina needing some work (including on her 't*tties') and the woman then causes the image of Dina to suddenly have much larger breasts and an exaggeratedly large rear end. During this, Pluto also jokes about Dina needing a bigger 'ass' so that there's something to hold on to. As they leave, Dina states for the record that she hasn't had one complaint about her 'ass.'
- Bruno likes the look of a female robot and says, 'Very nice' in an aroused, robot manner.
- Pluto pours some champagne for himself and Dina (with a video chauffeur stating in disbelief that he's going to get her drunk and have his way with her), but she's fallen asleep when he returns with it.
- Pluto, Dina and Bruno come across a French maid robot in garters and a short dress who's been programmed to repeatedly drop her feather duster, state 'oops,' and then bend over to pick it up (thus showing part of her panties). During this, we see her cleavage and the camera briefly focuses on her butt when she's bent over (and Bruno drops some bags in excitement while watching her). Bruno then smacks her on the butt as she passes by (she then smacks him on the face). Pluto then states that the French maid robot is an 'excellent piece of...software.' We later see her sitting on Bruno's lap and then part of her outfit is sucked off during a decompression moment where she's 'floating' horizontally while holding onto a bar (but we don't see anything explicit).
- Pluto's mom shows some cleavage.
- Felix says he had a bad experience with a robot in the past where they started to 'get busy' (fooling around), but that the android then went 'terminator' on him. Pluto says Felix needn't fear Bruno unless he tries to 'get busy' with him. Felix then goes out to jumpstart Bruno and appears to attach a jumper cable to a battery post that seems to be at the robot's crotch.
- Bruno has a portable slot machine with a sultry female voice following him around, wanting him to gamble and dropping lots of sexual innuendo, including 'Hey, good looking. How about slipping up to your room and playing with me for a while?' 'She' then asks if he wants to do something exciting tonight and wonders if he 'might get lucky.' Later, the machine tells him, 'C'mon big boy. Right here in the lobby. Oh, baby...'
- Various women in a casino show cleavage and we then see some Vegas style showgirls who are dressed in skimpy, bikini-type outfits that turn out to be of the thong variety in the back (we see several mostly bare butts in them).
- Pluto and Dina briefly kiss (to hide from some people looking for them), but she says, 'It works for me' (in a slightly aroused manner) after he says he thinks their plan worked.
- We see that Tony has two wives who show cleavage (and hear that one is a clone from the other). When Dina asks which is which, Tony proudly answers, 'Who cares?'
- Bruno spots the French maid robot doing her bend over routine again, but he tells Pluto that nothing will happen between them since he's 110 volts and she's 220. Pluto tells him to go to the hardware store and get an adapter, but Bruno says that just ruins it for him.
The Adventure Of Pluto Nash Slot Machine Scenes
- Pluto, Rex and a miscellaneous man all smoke cigars one time, while Pluto mentions wanting to relax, light up a cigar and enjoy the party (but he's talking about the future). Later, Pluto pulls out a cigar but it's accidentally knocked from his hand and then stepped on, so he can't use it.
- We briefly see some guy in a bar who's celebrating with a buddy because he's getting divorced.
- What life and living on the moon might be like.
- Clones and the concept and ramifications of cloning.
- Two men have Tony tied to a chair with one hitting him in the shoulder. That one man then has his hand around Tony's jaw/neck and then puts a chain around his neck and a funnel in his mouth (into which the other man is prepared to pour battery acid). Nothing else happens, however, as Pluto negotiates a deal with them.
- Pluto pushes one of Morgan's men's feet from his desk, knocking that man to the floor. Bruno then comes in, grabs that man by the head, and forces him back into his chair. When that man then goes for his gun, Pluto pulls his and aims it at him.
- An explosion rocks Pluto's club, breaking a wall of windows and sending him and Dina to the floor. We also see that that it's destroyed most of the lower level.
- An assassin fires a shot that nearly hits Pluto (but Dina knocks him out of the way) and Pluto then chases after that man (who knocks over a few people during the chase), eventually tackling him inside a bar. Various people there then pull out their weapons and open fire on Nash who fires laser blasts back with his (causing property damage and some of the bad guys shoot one of their own in an attempt to kill Nash who shoves the body at two of them). Pluto shoots one guy during this and Dina then comes in, picks up a gun and begins firing it in an out of control fashion (and accidentally hits various people). Bruno then shows up with even larger laser guns and opens fire, causing more property damage and a walkway to collapse with people on it. As they leave, Pluto then sets up his gun on a tripod and has it fire back into the bar (but we don't see what it hits).
- Morgan's associate holds a gun to a motel clerk to find out Pluto's whereabouts. He and other men then race toward the room. Pluto and others then go into another room and then cause a large wall to fall onto two of the men (and they jump up and down on it). Pluto's mom then shoots two robots, and other villains then open fire on them with laser shots with Bruno and Pluto firing back (Bruno also blows out a large window).
- Bruno smacks a French maid robot on the butt as she passes by and she then smacks him on the face.
- We see a flashback of a mob figure pushing a photographer with his briefcase and causing the other man to tumble down some concrete stairs.
- A man shoots another man in the back, killing him (there's no blood and we see the incident from the front of them).
- Morgan's associate fires a rocket launcher into an old mining building and causes a huge explosion (no one is harmed, but lots of property damage occurs). A man then holds a gun on Dina, but Pluto then lands on that man from above and kicks and struggles with that man. He then blocks the man's punch and kicks him backwards where he slams into some lights and causes them to spark.
- Others fire laser shots at Pluto and company and Pluto fires back. Bruno smacks two men's heads together (in their helmets) and pushes them aside. As Pluto and the others escape, various villains fire shots that hit their 'car.' Morgan and company then chase after them in another flying car that fires laser shots at them. They then race through a canyon and then down through a tunnel where Morgan has his man slam their 'car' into Pluto's (and some sparks fly upon contact with it and the tunnel wall).
- From a distance, we see a 'car' explode.
- Belcher throws something at one of his minions.
- Various men hold guns on Pluto and Tony, and Belcher then shocks both of them with a small handheld device that renders them unconscious (the same device is used to shock Pluto back into consciousness).
- Bruno punches and knocks out a guard, but various guards then come out and hold guns on them.
- Rex pushes Nash down into a chair.
- Rex shoots two of his own men dead (no blood).
- Nash grabs Rex and the two struggle over a laser gun with some kicking, punching, flipping over and tripping. More struggling follows and both punch each other several times. One then elbows the other, holds his head down onto a table and prepares to strike him with something, but the other escapes and drives him back.
- One then punches a mirror and breaks it, with the other then punching him from behind it. More struggling continues, with one man slamming the other onto the floor.
- A man shoots Bruno and knocks him to the floor (but we later see that he's okay), and guards then shoot another man (who also turns out to be okay). Pluto then hits Belcher, but the shot man then grabs Nash with a cord of some sort around his neck. Pluto then elbows that man and then flips him over and through some glass where he falls a great distance before crashing through a glass atrium and landing hard on a casino table (where he's presumably dead from the fall).
Reviewed August 16, 2002 / Posted August 16, 2002 Other new and recent reviews include:
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