DOLITTLE
****
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Screenwriters: Stephen Gaghan, Dan Gregor & Doug Mand, from a story by Thomas Shepherd based on characters created by Hugh Lofting in the Doctor Dolittle series of books.
Principal cast:
Robert Downey Jr.
Antonio Banderas
Michael Sheen
Jim Broadbent
Jessie Buckley
Emma Thompson
Country: USA
Classification: PG
Runtime: 101 mins.
Australian release date: 16 January 2020
Previewed at: Universal Theatrette, Sydney, on 15 January 2020.
Stephen Gaghan’s Dolittle commences with an animated back-story filling the audience in on the events leading to the title character’s current withdrawal from life, caused by the death of his wife. Then the story becomes ‘real’ as we witness a trio of hunters, a man and his two sons, out on a duck shoot. The youngest son is unable to kill as he is instructed and he accidently wounds a squirrel, which leads to an adventure in which the boy learns from a talking bird that, “It’s only by helping others that we can truly help ourselves.” In this way, we are introduced to the wonderful tale of Dr. Dolittle, who can speak to animals in their own languages and who was originally created in the 1920s by the English author Hugh Lofting. This is not the first time his story has been told on film though: a musical version made in 1967 starring Rex Harrison nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox, and there were a couple of others in 1998 and 2001 featuring Eddie Murphy in the titular role. Now it’s the turn of Robert Downey Jr. to play the eccentric doctor, with a script that draws on the second book in Lofting’s series.
The boy with the wounded red squirrel, Tommy Stubbins (Harry Collett), arrives at the locked gates of Dr. Dolittle’s estate at the same time as Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado), an emissary from the Royal Palace. She is seeking the doctor’s help in saving the life of Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley), who’s dying from an unknown illness. Poly, a macaw (Emma Thompson), helps them to enter the grounds and prompt the reclusive, positively agoraphobic, Dolittle into action. Having diagnosed the Queen, he takes off on his ship Water Lily in search of his wife’s journal, which will show him the way to a magical plant that can save the Queen’s life. Joining him on board is his menagerie of animals, including a nervous gorilla (Rami Malek), a heat-loving polar bear (John Cena), a crazy duck with a metal leg (Octavia Spencer), a short-sighted dog (Tom Holland) and more. Plus, at the last minute, young Stubbins, who apprentices himself to the good doctor.
The film is a visual delight. The computer-generated creatures are absolutely amazing, a credit to the animation team and the talents of the unseen actors voicing them. The inevitable baddies are all human and include Antonio Banderas as a pirate king, Jim Broadbent as a titled Member of Parliament and Michael Sheen as Queen Victoria’s doctor, and the action keeps up a rollicking pace as the characters travel from England to the West Indies and back again. The art direction and production design are superb and the great Jenny Beavan’s costumes delightfully over the top. But what about Downey? It’s pleasing to report that he does a great job of the wounded, then revived, man who finds his way back to humanity with the help of a boy. His Welsh accent sounds a bit Irish for a while, but settles down, and he gets away with it.
Dolittle is a must-see for children, who will be absolutely captivated by the adorable animals. The script is also very funny at times, sparkling with wit from beginning to end and hitting all the right notes. It had to go through some rewrites after initially failing to engage audiences but the producers have successfully rescued it. If you have any youngsters in need of a couple of hours of joy and wonderment this school holiday season, then take them on an outing they won’t forget, but don’t worry, it’s a treat for grown-ups as well.
Screenwriters: Stephen Gaghan, Dan Gregor & Doug Mand, from a story by Thomas Shepherd based on characters created by Hugh Lofting in the Doctor Dolittle series of books.
Principal cast:
Robert Downey Jr.
Antonio Banderas
Michael Sheen
Jim Broadbent
Jessie Buckley
Emma Thompson
Country: USA
Classification: PG
Runtime: 101 mins.
Australian release date: 16 January 2020
Previewed at: Universal Theatrette, Sydney, on 15 January 2020.
Stephen Gaghan’s Dolittle commences with an animated back-story filling the audience in on the events leading to the title character’s current withdrawal from life, caused by the death of his wife. Then the story becomes ‘real’ as we witness a trio of hunters, a man and his two sons, out on a duck shoot. The youngest son is unable to kill as he is instructed and he accidently wounds a squirrel, which leads to an adventure in which the boy learns from a talking bird that, “It’s only by helping others that we can truly help ourselves.” In this way, we are introduced to the wonderful tale of Dr. Dolittle, who can speak to animals in their own languages and who was originally created in the 1920s by the English author Hugh Lofting. This is not the first time his story has been told on film though: a musical version made in 1967 starring Rex Harrison nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox, and there were a couple of others in 1998 and 2001 featuring Eddie Murphy in the titular role. Now it’s the turn of Robert Downey Jr. to play the eccentric doctor, with a script that draws on the second book in Lofting’s series.
The boy with the wounded red squirrel, Tommy Stubbins (Harry Collett), arrives at the locked gates of Dr. Dolittle’s estate at the same time as Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado), an emissary from the Royal Palace. She is seeking the doctor’s help in saving the life of Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley), who’s dying from an unknown illness. Poly, a macaw (Emma Thompson), helps them to enter the grounds and prompt the reclusive, positively agoraphobic, Dolittle into action. Having diagnosed the Queen, he takes off on his ship Water Lily in search of his wife’s journal, which will show him the way to a magical plant that can save the Queen’s life. Joining him on board is his menagerie of animals, including a nervous gorilla (Rami Malek), a heat-loving polar bear (John Cena), a crazy duck with a metal leg (Octavia Spencer), a short-sighted dog (Tom Holland) and more. Plus, at the last minute, young Stubbins, who apprentices himself to the good doctor.
The film is a visual delight. The computer-generated creatures are absolutely amazing, a credit to the animation team and the talents of the unseen actors voicing them. The inevitable baddies are all human and include Antonio Banderas as a pirate king, Jim Broadbent as a titled Member of Parliament and Michael Sheen as Queen Victoria’s doctor, and the action keeps up a rollicking pace as the characters travel from England to the West Indies and back again. The art direction and production design are superb and the great Jenny Beavan’s costumes delightfully over the top. But what about Downey? It’s pleasing to report that he does a great job of the wounded, then revived, man who finds his way back to humanity with the help of a boy. His Welsh accent sounds a bit Irish for a while, but settles down, and he gets away with it.
Dolittle is a must-see for children, who will be absolutely captivated by the adorable animals. The script is also very funny at times, sparkling with wit from beginning to end and hitting all the right notes. It had to go through some rewrites after initially failing to engage audiences but the producers have successfully rescued it. If you have any youngsters in need of a couple of hours of joy and wonderment this school holiday season, then take them on an outing they won’t forget, but don’t worry, it’s a treat for grown-ups as well.