In 1967, when computer graphics were not as sophisticated as they are today, Rex Harrison starred in Richard Fleischer’s charming musical Doctor Dolittle — about a veterinarian who can talk to animals, based on the stories by Hugh Lofting. There was a pointless remake in 1998, starring Eddie Murphy and an even more pointless one now, directed by Stephen Gaghan, with Robert Downey Jr, as Dr John Dolittle.
In an animated prologue, it is seen that Dr Dolittle had a happy life and many adventures with his wife, but when she dies at sea on a solo voyage, Dolittle turns into a recluse, locking the gates of his estate, where he lives with his menagerie of animals (voiced by a dazzling bunch of stars), talking to them in their own languages.
The animal family is made up of a gorilla, ostrich, polar bear, giraffe, fox, duck, dog etc overseen by Polly the Parrot (Emma Thompson). His solitude is crashed by an animal-loving boy, Tommy (Harry Collett), looking to save the life of a wounded squirrel, and Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado), arriving with a summons from the ailing Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley).
Grumbling and griping, Dolittle gets on the back of his wise-cracking ostrich, Plimpton (Kumail Nanjiani), and reaches the royal bedchamber, animals and Tommy, a self-appointed apprentice, in tow. He discovers, that the dodgy Dr Mudfly (Michael Sheen) and Lord Badgley (Jim Broadbent) are up to no good. In order to find the elixir to save the queen’s life, he has to undertake a stormy voyage to a mysterious island, that cannot be found on a map.
So, Dolittle, Tommy, and the animals set out on the voyage, with a jealous Mudfly in pursuit, hoping to shoot their ship out of the water. Before they reach the island, they have to contend with the pirate king, Rassouli (Antonio Banderas), who, believe it or not, turns out to be Dolittle’s father-in-law.
The animals are nicely imagined, and they are all full of quirks (the polar bear can’t stand the cold) and quips, their high spirits and ceaseless cacophony would probably appeal to very small kids. Then again, this target audience might be baffled by the Victorian setting and Dolittle’s peculiar accent.
Apparently, a chunk of the movie was re-shot by Jonathan Liebesman, director of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, after a thumbs down by test audiences. That could perhaps explain the manic cutting and perplexing twists. Robert Downey Jr tries and fails to capture either the eccentricity or the endearing quality of the character. This film, despite the misfired humour, works in fits and starts, so it is not a total shipwreck, but does come very close to sinking.
