Dolittle — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
I’m truly not even sure where to start with this one. While I admittedly haven’t read any of the children’s books or seen the original film from 1967, I quite enjoyed Eddie Murphy’s rendition of Dr. Dolittle in 1998 and I enjoyed the 2001 sequel even more. That series went on for far too long, but they were harmless family films. Now, Robert Downey Jr. has taken the mantle as the latest to portray this character and while it seems as though everyone involved was trying to make something special, this is a prime example of all the pieces just not working as a whole. Kids may find some visual enjoyment at times, but this is a very weak film, and here’s why.
Dolittle picks up years after the events that lead him to isolation when a young boy and his crew of animals (who he often speaks to) embark on a journey to an island that has a flower that can save the life of the Queen. There were multiple times where I found myself wondering who this movie was meant for. Yes, the journey itself and the animals (which all look incredibly fake by the way) will provide some eye candy for young kids, but the premise will bore them to no end. Adults probably won’t find themselves invested, as the plot is so thin, to begin with. Dolittle does nothing to impress throughout its entire 100-minute run time.
The most frustrating part about this film is that the narration is so descriptive and on the nose that it makes you feel dumb. It’s even used in places in order to explain how characters would go from place to place, which felt like it was an easy way to explain 10 minutes of the plot away instead of filming a couple more sequences. On top of that, this film begins with a bit of animation, showcasing how Dr. Dolittle made it to the point in his life that he is throughout this film, but the story beats that are brushed over are far more interesting than anything that happened throughout the course of this movie. His backstory that was explained away would’ve made for a much more engaging premise, so I felt slightly annoyed that the best stuff was left out.
Sure, I’ll give credit where credit is due. Quite honestly, I couldn’t care less about who is voicing a CGI animal/person/creature in a film, simply because it won’t usually make a movie any better or any worse. With that said, from Rami Malek to Ralph Fiennes, the list of talent is endless here. The reason I’m bringing this up is that the highlight of the film for me was actually the Ostrich Plimpton, voiced by Kumail Nanjiani. Although he doesn’t get a lot to do, his voice work had me cracking up throughout the movie, as he muttered many things about events happening in front of him. It didn’t happen very often, but I got a few laughs out of his work.
In the end, this is a journey that really goes nowhere and the best part about the movie is Dr. Dolittle’s backstory, which is brushed over in the first few minutes. Robert Downey Jr. is trying very hard to give kids a wacky character to get behind, but it just didn’t work for me. I love him as an actor, but this was one of his oddest choices for a character ever. Michael Sheen probably has the best moment in the film as the main villain, as his hammy performance would've had me rolling on the floor laughing if he had more screen time, but I bet he has about 5 minutes total if I were to go back and count. Dolittle has a few promising elements but is ultimately an ugly, joyless adventure film that I just can’t recommend.
Rating: 1.5/5
Check out the trailer below:
