There was little hope for "Meet Dave" from the beginning.

The movie is about a spaceship (called Dave, played by Eddie Murphy) controlled by a crew of Lilliputian-sized aliens that each control different parts of the body, and their captain (also played by Eddie Murphy). The crew has come to Earth in search of an orb that is key to their survival.

The introductions drag on, eventually leading to the mildly interesting incident of Dave getting hit by a car. The driver of the car, Gina (Elizabeth Banks), and her son befriend Dave, introducing the crew to myriad human emotions and activities for which they are unprepared.

Inside the ship, the captain continues to grow closer to Gina, oblivious to the loving gazes of his No. 3 officer (Gabrielle Union). The remainder of the film is cliched and stale, ultimately ending with a sad attempt at warm and fuzzy.

This is hardly the worst movie Eddie Murphy has made. I can even imagine this being almost funny if cast with a more physical, less creepy lead. "Meet Dave" was gag-oriented, making it less entertaining and more something to be survived for anyone older than 10. That said, the dependence on sexual references makes this movie slightly inappropriate for children younger than 8.

In its single redeeming quality, the two talented female leads of "Meet Dave," Union and Banks, worked wonders with the thankless roles they were given. In the few seconds that there was no Eddie Murphy in sight, I almost liked watching the movie. Unfortunately, these pleasant moments were few and far between.

There are very few movies that have me longing to leave less than halfway through. "Meet Dave" was one of those. With Murphy's pathetic attempt at physical humor and the inexplicable staleness of the entire thing, "Meet Dave" was a waste of $7.

Rheagan Butler is a student at Central High School.