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Dolittle hires Stubbins as the animals watch.
Sandra Olmsted’s Cinematic Skinny: “Dolittle”
Dolittle: Does Barely Enough
by Sandra Olmsted
Director/co-writer Stephen Gaghan’s Dolittle, the latest rendition of Hugh Lofting’s children’s books, suffers the same fate as earlier attempts to bring the mythic tale to the big screen: bad reviews. Despite being live-action, all the versions share characteristics of animated films and should be judged accordingly. Bad reviews notwithstanding, I have fond memories of the 1967 Rex Harrison musical version and can appreciate that the Eddie Murphy versions’ juvenile humor appeals to some. This new adaptation seems, however, to have brought the full weight of the alleged curse upon itself with a weak script.
The newest Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) grieves so intently for his wife that he has become a hermit surrounded only by his animal friends. Stars provide the voices for those computer-generated animals, such as Poly the Parrot (Emma Thompson), Jip the dog (Tom Holland), Dab-Dab the duck (Octavia Spencer)Barry the tiger (Ralph Fiennes), Chee-Chee the gorilla (Rami Malek), Betsy the giraffe (Selena Gomez).
Then, Stubbins (Harry Collett), a young man with a fascination with animals, and Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado), a young lady-in-waiting, serendipitously arrive at Dolittle’s nature preserve home. Although Stubbins and Lady Rose’s meeting is contrived, their meet-cute moment is worthy of many animated films for children. While Stubbins wants to apprentice with Dolittle, Lady Rose bears an urgent request from Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) for Dolittle’s medical help. The Queen is terribly ill; however, Dolittle can only be motivated to shed his mourning shroud when reminded he will lose his estate if the Queen dies.
At the very moment, the Queen is being given Last Rites, Dolittle and his menagerie burst into Queen Victoria’s bedchamber, and she rallies. She then sends Dolittle on a quest for the antidote to poison that Dr. Blair Mudfly (Michael Sheen) and Lord Thomas Badgley (Jim Broadbent) seem to have been giving her. On the voyage to the only island where the antidote can be found, Dolittle, Stubbins, and the menagerie encounter the dread pirate and Dolittle’s angry ex-father-in-law King Rassouli (Antonio Banderas). Meanwhile, Dolittle’s ship is pursued by a warship captained by Mudfly, who wants the Queen dead and immortality offered by the antidote
The script has only marginally believable motivations for its many under-developed characters. The story jumps from between fantastic settings, explaining afterward. The terrific performers providing voices are buried in the film’s one good point: the amazing visual effect. The more exciting sequences may be too intense for the small children although older children may not be able to identify with even Stubbins or Lady Rose, who are also tweens. Dolittle, a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG for some action, rude humor, and brief language and runs a thankfully fast-paced 101 minutes. In theaters now, Dolittle offers at least forgettable escapist entertainment.
