Dr. Dolittle

Look Who's Talking Crap

Back in that distant past that we now call the Eighties, Eddie Murphy commanded multi-million dollar fees to feature in some of the biggest movies of that decade (48 Hours, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop). Meanwhile, two other actors toiled in lesser
roles, including working together in a movie which ignored the Hollywood adage - never work with either kids or animals. That movie was Look Who's Talking and those actors were John Travolta and Bruce Willis. How things have changed.

I was reminded of the Look Who's Talking series for several reasons while watching the remake of Dr. Dolittle. First of all, it's a real shame to see Eddie Murphy wallowing in relative obscurity after his previous smash hits ,just like the John Travolta of a decade ago. Secondly, the LWT series and Dr. Dolittle attempt to derive their humour from transposing adult observations and attitudes onto fairly dumb creatures :- babies (and later dogs) in LWT and animals in Dr. Dolittle.

But wait a minute, I hear you say. Weren't those Look Who's Talking movies pretty dire ? Indeed they were. And Dr. Dolittle is not much better.The plot of Dr. Dolittle, what there is of it, is the attempts of the eponymous doctor , and his two partners (Oliver Platt and Richard Schiff) to sign over his practise to an uncaring medical company, while trying to deal with the fact that he can suddenly understand every bark, miaow, squeak, whinney and roar of the animal world. And they are all trying to talk to him.

The real problem with the movie is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. A kiddie's movie ? A wry, knowing satire on human behavior, and our relationship with animals ? Or a vehicle for Eddie Murphy's brand of humour ? Sadly, only a little of each.
Kids will enjoy the movie simply because (a) there is a lot of talking animals on screen and (b) any activity that involves mass consumption of Coke and popcorn is o.k. by them. Most of the humour is more adult - the dog promising that he'll be good as he's dragged into the vet to be neutered , another dog warning the vet ( though only Dolittle can understand) that the painfully inserted thermometer is about to disappear south. A number of well-known comedians supply the voices of the various animals, including Chris Rock, Garry Shandling and Ellen Degeneres (assuming anyone actually thinks Ellen is funny). Pity the gags are so lame. It is possible to have a bunch of talking animals in a witty and entertaining movie. That movie was called Babe.

Like Babe, the special effects are flawless, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop and a host of computer tricker (The original 1967 movie featuring Rex Harrison won an Oscar for Special Visual Effects) However, the script lacks charm or wit, and the secondary storyline of Dolittle's daughter trying unsuccessfully to avoid a freak tag (like her dad) is maudlin rather than moving. Mind you, if a rat farting or a horny hamster is your idea of fun (or you are seven years old), you'll probably love this movie.

****** Excellent   - An outstanding movie
*****   V. Good   - Very enjoyable
****     Good        - Entertaining
***       Mediocre - Nothing special
**         Poor         - A waste of time
*           Inexcrable - Complete rubbish

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