DOLITTLE DOES LITTLE

Dolittle is a complete, slap-dash, convoluted mess. It's hard to comprehend why RDJ would choose this as his next film after his successful long-term stint as Iron Man/Tony Stark (maybe he just wanted a film where he wouldn't have to try as hard, which is understandable). The film itself feels like it suffered from production troubles. There is an abundance of ADR (never a good sign), tons of modern humor that is painful and unfunny (at one point an octopus says: Snitches get stitches, bro!), and RDJ as Dolittle acts as if he is relapsing (It doesn't help that he consistently looks like a mess). RDJ also speaks in a bad Welsh accent, and mumbles his way through the role (Naturally, this makes it hard to understand what he's saying at times).

There's an interesting undercurrent of grief that could work in a better film, but completely fails to connect here (Dolittle is still grieving over his wife's death and has retreated from society. The few scenes where he is asked to portray the good doc's grief are some of the only times where it feels like RDJ is actually trying) .

RDJ and his wife produced this big-budget flop, but you could never tell from his acting: RDJ feels disconnected from everything and everyone here, and like he couldn't be less interested in the film he is making. His Dolittle is fairly unlikable (He only agrees to save a dying Queen after he finds out that if she dies he loses his posh estate, he seems to be fairly incompetent at adventuring, and gives up easily when the cards are stacked against him). He isn't someone you particularly want to follow.

Rami Malek (as Chichi the Gorilla), Tom Holland (as Jip the Dog), John Cena (as Yoshi the Polar Bear), Octavia Spencer (as Dab-Dab the Duck), Emma Thompson (as Polly the Parrot, she might give the best performance in the film), Craig Robinson (as Kevin the Squirrel), Kumail Nanjiani (as Plimpton the Ostrich), Ralph Fiennes (as Barry the Tiger), Selena Gomez (as Betsy the Giraffe), Marion Cotilliard (as Tutu the fox), Jason Mantzoukas (as James the Dragonfly), Will Arnett (as a jailed rabbit), and Frances De La Tour (as Ginko-Who-Soars the dragon) lend their voices and are all wasted. Antonio Banderas (as Rassouli, king of an island and father to Lilly Dolittle, The Doc's deceased wife), Jim Broadbent (as Lord Thomas Badgley), and Martin Sheen (as Dr. Blair Mudfly, a rival doctor) all pop up as the human antagonists and are wasted as well. Kasia Smutniak appears briefly as Lilly Dolittle, she is pretty and kind but barely leaves an impression.

The directing by Stephen Gaghan is unfocused and sloppy, and the script penned by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Stephen Gaghan is just awful and unfunny. RDJ has built up enough good will over the past ten years or so that the decision to produce and star in this film shouldn't completely tank him (luckily). While I certainly do not like this film, I still very much love RDJ and hope he makes better decisions in the future.

In the end, Dolittle is a film that means well and will certainly entertain the very young, but will likely leave everyone else longing for a better movie (Easily the best part is the pretty animated intro). Tony Stark died for our sins, he deserves better than Dolittle.

1 STAR