DAVE

DAVE is a lively, enjoyable comedy built around an ordinary man whose resemblance to the President pulls him into the machinery of power. Its humor is both subtle and overt, its pace stays fast, and its comic political maneuvers eventually rekindle faith in the decency of the common citizen.

That warmth comes with real content costs. The film includes up to 10 obscenities, five profanities, and a discreet sex scene with nothing visible. Its humanist outlook makes some good biblical points, but this is still not a family-suitable choice under the film’s −2 Family Content rating.

If you are a discerning adult who can navigate those concerns, this is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.

Dave Kovic runs a temporary agency and happens to look remarkably like the President of the United States. When the Secret Service needs a stand-in for risky situations, Dave is recruited.

But the assignment changes when the President suffers a medical crisis. Soon Dave is living in the White House, caught among powerful people, deception, ambition, and intrigue. His own straightforward ideas about right and wrong may transform the presidency in unexpected ways.

Four stars means DAVE is an especially enjoyable film. It is chock-full of humor, maintains a fast pace, and works through both subtle and overt comedy. Its tongue-in-cheek approach gives it an energetic way to poke fun at America’s time-honored political institutions.

The film’s comic maneuvers also serve a warmer purpose. Dave’s basic ideas about right and wrong challenge the ambitions of powerful people and help rekindle belief in the decency of the common citizen.

DAVE presents a humanist worldview, but the source review notes that it makes some good biblical points. The film values decency, ordinary people, and a basic sense of right and wrong. Dave’s education in power, deception, and intrigue leads him to resist being used as anyone’s patsy.

Its political institutions are treated with tongue-in-cheek humor rather than reverence. The film finds hope in the common citizen and in the possibility that honesty can transform public life. That is a genuine moral strength.

At the same time, the film’s humanism does not root goodness explicitly in God. Its central confidence rests in human decency and moral instinct. That aligns with Scripture’s concern for truth and righteousness, while departing from the biblical understanding that every good gift ultimately comes from God.

The film’s longing for decency points toward the biblical call to live truthfully and do what is right: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

DAVE is fast, funny, and warmly committed to the possibility of ordinary decency. Its profanity, sexual content, and humanist worldview make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a family movie night, see.