Dolittle movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Dolittle

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour, 46 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The wonder, charm, adventure, and magic of Disney are alive and well in this fun, family-friendly flick! Now, don’t get me wrong…this is NOT a Disney movie. It just FEELS like one. It’s actually produced by Universal Pictures.

Films that hit theaters in January are traditionally horrible, but this new Dr. Doolittle movie has a lot of good going for it. There were tons of reshoots after the movie passed through various hands, but it flows fairly well. Directed by Stephen Gaghan, this is the first Dr. Doolittle film not to be produced by 20^th Century Fox.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

A boy tries to shoot ducks with a rifle
There is some humor that young kids won’t understand.
Talk of bad boys and Boy Scouts
People and animals in perilous situations
Some farting…of course, because the movie is directed toward kids.
Some exclamations but no profanity
It will surely capture the imagination of children, especially those who have family pets they wish they could talk to in their own language.

THEMES:

Protecting animals, kindness to animals
“You’re stronger than you know.” – Doolittle (Robert Downey Jr.)
“Courage is not the absence of fear.” – Doolittle
Friendship
Broken hearts
Hope
Envy
“It’s only by helping others that we can help ourselves.” – narrator (Emma Thompson)
Talk of death of loved ones

THINGS I LIKED:

I loved the introductory scene in animation style that looked like clips from an old Disney movie.
The incredibly talented cast includes 5 Oscar winners: Rami Malek, Jim Broadbent, Emma Thompson, Octavia Spencer, and Marion Cotillard. It also includes 3 Oscar nominees: Robert Downey Jr., Ralph Fiennes, and Kumail Nanjiani.
Emma Thompson’s awesome voice is perfect as an actress or narrator in any Disney movie.
We had to say goodbye to Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, but now he brings another entertaining character to life. His accent is super strange though, and sometimes it’s hard to understand what he says. It was distracting every time he spoke.
I recognized Antonio Banderas’ voice before I recognized his physical appearance.
Gorgeous set pieces, landscapes, and scenery.
Some really great special effects.
The trailers did a good job of not revealing everything.
It’s very different from the Eddie Murphy and Rex Harrison versions of Dr. Dolittle, but a fun addition to the story.
I liked the element of language. Dr. Doolittle has a natural gift to understand the languages of animals, but his young apprentice learns by studying. In other words, gifts and work are both valuable, especially when they are used together.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some moments definitely look like they’re CGI.
The true adventure didn’t really start until halfway through the film.
Not all of the humor lands.
Robert Downey Jr.’s accent….
The queen wasn’t as nice as I thought she should be.

FUNNY LINES:

“Why are you riding me? There are like 4 horses in front of us!” – ostrich
“You call on me to do this on the day of my daughter’s wedding?” – ant
“I’ll wait for whoever survives outside.” – dragonfly
After a creature releases a LOT of gas, Dr. Doolittle says, “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re all animals.”

INTERESTING LINES: