Dolittle

Based on Hugh Lofting’s iconic character, Dolittle follows Robert Downey Jr’s title figure, a reclusive physician with the ability to speak to animals, as he reluctantly agrees to embark on a quest to locate a cure for the ailing Queen of England. The degree to which Dolittle eventually winds up alienating the viewer is actually rather surprising, as the movie does seem, in its early stages, to possess the various ingredients one expects out of a forgettable yet watchable family-friendly endeavor – with the affable vibe certainly heightened by Downey Jr’s typically irreverent turn as the oddball protagonist. (This is in spite of his curious decision to employ a muddled Welsh accent that renders much of his dialogue unintelligible.) The viewer’s increasing inability to work up any interest in or sympathy for the central character’s over-the-top exploits proves rather disastrous, however, and it’s clear, too, that the growing less-than-captivating vibe is compounded by an aggressively frenetic midsection and ongoing emphasis on bottom-of-the-barrel instances of juvenile humor. And although the finale is relatively satisfying, Dolittle has long since cemented its place as a lowest-common-denominator bit of misguided studio filmmaking and a seriously oddball entry within Gaghan’s otherwise adult-oriented body of work.

*1/2 out of ****