
Movie review
By Kaylee Brewster
one-and-a-half out of four
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Last year, Robert Downey Jr. was the star of a billion dollar franchise and the highest grossing movie of all time (Avengers: Endgame). As he said goodbye to the role of Tony Stark, fans waited to see what he would do next.
Too bad it was Dolittle.
It is incomprehensible how a movie about a beloved fictional character played by an accomplished and likable actor with a voice cast that includes half of Hollywood (Tom Holland, Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjani, Octavia Spencer, Craig Robertson, Ralph Fiennes, just to name a few) could fail so magnificently.
Well, actually, its pretty simple. Its all in the script.
The foundation of Dolittle is built on the shaky premise that the doctor must embark on a voyage to an uncharted island in order to save the Queen of England, which in turn will also save his animal sanctuary. He brings along his animal friends, Poly the parrot (Thompson), Chee-Chee the gorilla (Malek), Yoshi the polar bear (Cena), Plimpton the ostrich (Nanjani), along with countless others, including a human boy, Tommy Stubbins (Harry Collett).
While there is adventure to be had, most of what ensues is characters talking. It cant be considered engaging dialogue; theyre just talking. Its like during recording sessions with the cast they set the actors loose. Dolittle speaks to animals, but it seems to be all he does and it doesnt translate well for the audience. Animals and Dolittle chatter away like theres not a plot that needs to be moved forward.
Thats the other problem. Theres really only a handful of events that happen to keep the story afloat.
Dolittle provides some moments of laughter for the audience, mostly its youngest viewers. As the film progresses, the jokes dont land as well, mostly because they are recycled from previous chuckles.
Visually, Dolittle manages some spectacle. While the computer generated animals dont look as realistic as The Lion King or The Jungle Book, they look real enough to work. Some of the colorful set designs and costumes are enjoyable. Its one of the few positives.
Dolittle shows that having all the right ingredients for a good movie doesnt matter if the script cant support the film. Despite Downeys best efforts (you can almost feel him struggling to carry the film), Dolittle does very little right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSBEWeXkMIk