“Dolittle” – Movie Review

📸: Universal Pictures

I give this movie 3 out of 10 vomits

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🟢 Movie Plot 🟢

A Veterinarian who can talk to animals, and his apprentice go on an adventure to find an island with a magical fruit.

🟢 Spoiler Free 🟢

For this movie boy did they get an all star cast. Antonio Banderas, John Cena, Robert Downey Jr., Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Kumail Nanjiani, Craig Robinson, Michael Sheen, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Thompson.

This movie fell flat and became a mess. It was all over the place and it honestly made no sense. The story moved very quickly and they did not give much background on what was happening. While watching the movie I kept asking myself “What is going on?” and “Ok. What just happened?”

Even when Dolittle meets his apprentice is pretty ridiculous.

Now, I am no filmmaker, but, I do feel the scenes that were put together was just kind of thrown together. No one was making sure that everything flowed together. 

The talking for me was a bit weird too. All the animals would talk over each other so it was hard to tell who was talking when. I know animals in the real world are always making noises, so I understand that aspect of it, but I wish it were a little clearer when they were all talking. Even when Dolittle himself would speak was a bit weird. I felt sometimes his dialogue did not match up with his face. Almost as if when they were putting together the movie they realized they could not hear was RDJ was saying. Therefore, they brought him in later to do voice over work. That is what it seemed like to me honestly. Moments of the dialogue just felt uncomfortable.

I will say that I think kids enjoy this movie. It has MANY funny scenes where kids would laugh. I was even laughing at a lot of the scenes. Not only because they were funny, but some were ridiculous too.

All I have to say about this movie is THANK YOU for Poly, the parrot. This whole movie hangs on the shoulders of Poly because she was THE ONLY one who was moving the story along. She was THE ONLY one who was explaining the story as we go. If we did not have her character we would be truly lost. She does fill in gaps of the movie that are missing, but even with her the movie is still not complete.

The two people who were just fantastic in this movie were Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen. It does not matter what movie these two are in. They ALWAYS kill it!

Overall the movie was entertaining and it does have its funny moments, but other than that, it is not a good movie. It will leave you at the end of it thinking “What the heck did I just watch?”.

🔴 Spoilers 🔴 

When Dolittle meets his apprentice is just plain weird to me. Ok. I take that back. I can see that the way he got caught is funny. I do see that as funny. But I would have enjoyed it more if he didn’t have a squirrel in his bag that was on the verge of dying! So let me take a few steps back. In the beginning of the movie Tommy Stubbins, who becomes the apprentice, is out hunting with his dad and brother. Tommy shoots away from the flock of birds and accidentally shoots a squirrel. Without his family looking he put the squirrel in his bag. His dad and brother leave home without him. Tommy stumbles across Dolittle’s house. The scenes from here take FOREVER for him to actually get into the house. To me I did not like this because I felt the people who were making the movie forgot there was a almost dead squirrel in his bag. So that was annoying.

I also did not like that we did not see the bond between Tommy and his dad get any better. He just leaves his house and no one goes looking for him. I would have liked at least one scene with the dad and Tommy saying, “We were so worried where have you been?”. That’s all I needed! 😒

The whole thing with the queen was pretty upsetting as well. I felt let down because all they did was a quick story on how Dolittle helped her with her dog and that was it. They neve mentioned if they were still close friends or anything. Then after she is saved she says NOTHING to Dolittle. Ugh! Like he just saved your life lady! Er, Queen! Honestly it’s like come on! I just want some back story. Is that too much to ask?! 

A duo that I did not care for was Dolittle and King Rassouli. I would have cared more if they gave me what? . . . That’s right. . . Backstory! I did not understand why the king was so mad at dolittle. Yes I know Dolittle’s wife was his daughter, but I was lost as to why he was so mad. 

At the end f the movie they come across a dragon! A DRAGON!! Come one people, really?! It was honestly all too too much for me. Then out of no where he can speak to the dragon as well? I know Dolittle understands animals, but it was not clear to me if he can understand them or if he learned their language. Kind of like how Tommy is doing. So if Dolittle just knows the language, then how in the heck does he know how to speak dragon???

Funny Moments – These had me LAUGHING!

• When they finally arrive to the island and find the Tree of Eden the Duck says, “Look the path is lighting up all the way. . . to the guy who wants to kill us”
• When they are trying to outrun Dr. Blair and he sees the whale in the ocean and the whale has his fin out. Dr. Blair starts to wave at it and the whale says to the other whale, “I cannot believe you are flipping him off!”
• The part that had me saying “Ew” more than laughing was at the end when Dolittle is pulling out all of that armor from the dragon’s butt. I couldn’t stop laughing because I was super uncomfortable watching it. And then the dragon farted 😑 I knew kids probably loved that part 😅
• Also, when the squid would listen in on Dr. Blair’s conversations was freaking funny too.
• Dr. Blaire in himself was THE FUNNIEST character! He always had me rolling.
• When they were on the island with Antonio Banderas, I LOVED that the polar bear got caught with dynamite 😂