By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Oh my!
?Dolittle,? the latest big screen adaption that?s based loosely on Hugh Lofting?s classic novels is a
major misfire.
It?s worse than Cats!
That Robert Downey Jr?s post ?Iron Man?/Marvel leap is so bad is surprising.
What?s even more astonishing is that writer/director Stephen Gaghan, whose work includes the dramas ?Gold? and ?Syriana,? was tapped to jump start this potential family franchise. After several stops and starts, Gaghan was replaced by ?Mutant Ninja Turtles? director Jonathan Liebesman.
Yet, with those changes, plus three screenwriters and a production budget of nearly $175 million to boot, ?Dolittle? is as inviting and enjoyable as a wet, wool blanket.
The movie is set in 19th Century England and we learn about the good doctor and why he?s such a recluse.
His adventurous wife, Lily (Kasia Smutniak, TV?s ?Devils?) died at sea and Dr. Dolittle hasn?t been able to forgive himself for letting her take that final voyage.
Now Dr. Dolittle has turned his back on people and stays tucked away at Dolittle Manor with a menagerie of goofy animals that have almost as many issues as he does. There?s Chee-Chee, an anxious and insecure gorilla (Rami Malek, ?Bohemian Rhapsody?) and Polynesia (Emma Thompson, ?Late Night?), a wise and headstrong macaw and Dolittle?s most trusted advisor.
The convoluted plot centers around two kids. Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado) and Tommy Stubbins (Harry Collett, ?Dunkirk?). Tommy is odd and quiet.
Unlike his father he has no desire to hunt and kill animals. He stumbles upon Dr. Dolittle?s manor with hopes of having him save an injured squirrel. Lady Rose is tasked with delivering a message to Dr. Dolittle regarding Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley, TV?s ?Fargo?) who is deathly ill.
To find a cure and save the queen?s life, Dr. Dolittle must set sail on a harrowing journey to an island that?s ruled by King Rassouli (?Antonio Banderas, ?Pain and Glory?) and later to a magical tree that bears fruit that may cure the queen.
There?s plenty of star power attached to ?Dolittle.? Octavia Spencer is the voice of the wacky duck Dab-Dab, Marion Cotillard is Tutu a slick fox. Kumail Nanjiani is Plimpton, the ostrich; John Cena stars as Yoshi, the polar bear and Tom Holland voices the Jip dog. Michael Sheen is annoying as one of Dr. Dolittle?s enemies.
All the boring, lame, dialogue and dark meaningless plot only makes ?Dolittle? feel even longer than its 101-minute run time.
I can?t sugarcoat it. This is just a mess of a movie.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 1530 AM and 93.1 FM.
Check Out This Trailer For
"Dolittle"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics? Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
