Dr. John Dolittle lives in solitude behind the high walls of his lush manor in 19th-century England. His only companionship comes from an array of exotic animals that he speaks to on a daily basis. But when young Queen Victoria becomes gravely ill, the eccentric doctor and his furry friends embark on an epic adventure to a mythical island to find the cure.
Robert Downey Jr. owns the screen in “Doolittle,” a sort of retelling of the series of novels written by Hugh Lofting. After the passing at sea of his beloved Lily (Kasia Smutniak), Dolittle retreats to a private compound granted by Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley). A sudden and mysterious illness incapacitates the queen who teeters on death. This, in turn, jeopardizes the sanctity of Dolittle’s estate and more or less forces him back out into the world. The plot moves along in a straightforward and predictable enough fashion, while unfortunately also offering only meager surprises and bits of unexceptional levity.
Variations of the Dr. Dolittle story include previous work by Rex Harrison and Eddie Murphy with mixed results. Hence, the motivation for this latest iteration remains unclear. Perhaps a primary goal may simply have been to highlight ever-improving special effects, which thus make all things possible on the silver screen. As such, the anthropomorphic animal characters will appeal to children and even some adults. Once again, however, though the periodically edgy comedy hints at elements of “Shrek,” it lacks much of the keen wit that imbued the classic series.
An impressive roster of voice talent brings life to the numerous animals with which Dolittle fluently and regularly converses. Emma Thompson as Poly the Parrott acts as the moral compass for the cloistered and cranky Dolittle. Numerous other voice actors include Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Marion Cotillard, and Frances de la Tour. The involvement of so many famous names suggests this outing constituted a labor of love for many of them.
Dolittle’s old schoolmate and nemesis Dr. Blair Müdfly, played by Michael Sheen, delivers some campy humor – even after most of the final credits roll. On the other hand and oddly surprising, the very capable Jim Broadbent as Lord Thomas Badgley comes off as stiff and unfunny. Antonio Banderas provides an admirable enough performance as Lily’s father, who blames Dolittle for his daughter’s disappearance. Other supporting cast members include Carmel Laniado as Lady Rose, doing a nice turn advocating for Queen Victoria’s health, and Harry Collett as Tommy Stubbins who serves suitably well as an assistant for the reluctant Dolittle.
For his part, Robert Downey Jr. fared far better as Tony Stark and Sherlock Holmes. Here his tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Dolittle generates a lot of mileage bolstered by his ubiquitous onscreen presence, yet ultimately the winks and pantomimes will likely leave viewers wishing for more.
Directed by Stephen Gaghan, who also helmed “Syriana” and won a Best Screenplay Oscar for “Traffic,” his latest effort never quite finds its footing. Despite much hoopla and fanfare, the stellar cast of live-action and animated characters in “Dolittle” underperform, relative to its enormous promise.
In Theaters Friday, January 17th
