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'Dr. Dolittle' should talk to a writer
An uninspired script leaves Eddie Murphy with little to say, although - unfortunately - that's not the case with the film's foul-talking animals.
By PHILIP BOOTH
© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 21, 2001
[20th Century Fox]
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Duck Soup, it ain’t. Dr. Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) gets physical with some web-footed patients.
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Eddie Murphy walks with the animals and talks with the animals in Dr. Dolittle 2, a tired sequel to the comedy that inexplicably grossed $144-million at the box office three summers ago.
Frankly, though, the veteran funny man has been far more effective in recent years walking and talking as an animal: as the voice of Donkey in the far more entertaining Shrek, and as the voice of Mushu the dragon in 1998's Mulan.
This time, not unlike in the first Dolittle, Murphy is all straight man, forced to react to the often rude and crude comments of his friends from the animal kingdom, many of which seem eager to crack jokes about bodily functions and sexual habits.
Which brings up a complaint: Does a movie count as family entertainment if one's 5-year-old child reports that the "butt plug" discussion was the most memorable part of the film? Is toilet humor now an obligatory part of Hollywood productions aimed at kids?
Lucky the dog (voiced by Norm MacDonald, reprising his role), an endangered Pacific Western bear named Ava (Lisa Kudrow), Pepito the frustrated Hispanic chameleon (Jacob Vargas), Mafioso kingpin Beaver (Richard C. Sarafian), and henchmen Joey the raccoon (Michael Rapaport) and Lennie the Weasel (Andy Dick) are among the non-human pals closest to the heart of Dolittle, a genial San Francisco veterinarian.
Those critters, and a forest full of their family and friends, are about to lose their homes to greedy developers (Kevin Pollak and Jeffrey Jones) planning to wipe out thousands of acres of forest. So they ask Dolittle for help.
His idea: Reacquaint laconic circus bear Archie (Steve Zahn), an ursine showboat partial to the music of Gloria Gaynor, with the ways of the wild, so that he'll mate with Ava and the nasty loggers will be legally prevented from destroying the bears' habitat.
It's not much of a plot, but former rap video director Steve Carr (Next Friday) and screenwriter Larry Levin (Dr. Dolittle) do what they can to stretch it into a feature.
Dolittle, now a celebrity vet apparently liberated from office hours to consult with folks like real-life television crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, is forced to deal with some problems on the home front.
His wife, Lisa (Kristen Wilson, another returnee), isn't getting the attention she desires; thus, we get a romantic interlude involving the moldy Lionel Richie hit Truly and a bit of unfunny slapstick. Even more complicated is the plight of Charisse (Raven-Symone, also in the first Dr.), a 16-year-old who's less interested in hanging out with her family than spending time with new beau Eric (rapper Lil' Zane). Charisse has a secret, but it's anti-climactic.
It's difficult not to admire the technological achievement of making animals appear as if they're talking to Dolittle. The effect is even more impressive than it was in the 1998 film, inspired by the 1967 musical, starring Rex Harrison, that was itself based on the beloved children's books by Hugh Lofting. Maybe next time, Levin or another writer will come up with a story as accomplished as the technology.
MOVIE REVIEW
Dr. Dolittle 2
- Grade: C
- Director: Steve Carr
- Cast: Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, Jeffrey Jones, Kevin Pollak and the voices of Steve Zahn, Jacob Vargas, Lisa Kudrow, Mike Epps and Norm Macdonald.
- Screenplay: Larry Levin
- Rating: PG; crude humor
- Running time: 98 min
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