By: debbie lynn elias
The doctor is in! That’s right – Eddie Murphy is back reprising his role as that oh-so-famous doctor who can talk to the animals, John Dolittle. Based on the childhood (and oft times adult) favorite Dr. Dolittle stories by Hugh Lofting, screenwriter Larry Levin brings us this outing about the good-hearted doctor and his quest to help save the furry and feathered denizens of a forest doomed for destruction by a mercenary land developer played by Jeffrey Jones.
Narrated once again by the Dolittle dog Lucky (voiced by Norm MacDonald), we learn that since our last visit with Dr. Dolittle in 1998, he has become a world famous veterinarian, ministering to animals at zoos, in the wild, at his clinic and at his doorstep, not to mention conducting 12-step therapy groups for homeless dogs, and resolving impotency problems in Galapagos turtles through the use of Viagra. Adding to the mix is his wife played by Kristen Wilson, Kyla Pratt as his youngest daughter Maya who fervently tries to talk to the animals just like Dad, and Raven-Symone as 16 year old Charisse who has is now dating and has hormones raging. Symone, probably best known as the impudent Olivia on television’s The Cosby Show, gives Murphy the same fits and starts as the parent of a teenager as she gave Bill Cosby as the grandparent to a three year old.
During a command performance family birthday party for Charisse, the good doctor is summoned from his home by mafioso Joey the Raccoon (voiced by Michael Rapaport) for another command performance, this one before the “God Beaver” (voiced by Richard C. Sarafian). The God Beaver, concerned over not only the “loss of his territory” but also the destruction of the forest and loss of homes for his fellow animals, believes that Dolittle is the only human who can save them. Lucky for them, not only does Dolittle talk to animals, but he is married to an attorney. On learning that a lone female Pacific Western bear name named Ava (voiced by Lisa Kudrow), who is on the endangered species list, resides in the forest, Mrs. Dolittle is able to obtain an injunction stopping the land development for 30 days, during which time the doctor must find a mate for Ava to reproduce if there is to be any hope of saving the forest. Enter Archie, the citified Circus Bear who just happens to be of the Pacific Western species.
Brilliantly voiced by Steve Zahn, Archie is a song and dance bear who falls head-over-heels for Ava, who is not at all impressed with Archie’s less-than-adequate survival skills. Sure, he can lift a toilet seat, soak in a bathtub and sing rousing renditions of I Will Survive and Copacabana, but can he put food on the table, er, in the cave? It’s up to the doctor to turn Archie into a bear’s bear who can win Ava’s heart. Unfortunately, with a bear that hates the forest almost as much as Imelda Marcos would hate Nordstrom’s without a shoe department, it seems almost an impossibility, but that’s where the fun starts.
Both director Steve Carr and Murphy pick up the pace once Alpha male training commences, not only for Archie, but for both Lucky (who doesn’t want to die a virgin and is trying to make time with a female wolf) and the doctor himself, who brags about being an Alpha male but who still gets chastised for failing to line the garbage cans. In some of the best comic send-ups of the firm, taking matters into their own hands at the behest of Dr. Dolittle, the animals of the world go on strike, culminating in hilarious union negotiations between a now exasperated land developer and the animal union rep, Joey the Raccoon.
Although neither “deep and intense” nor a real stretch for Murphy’s talents, Dr. Dolittle is nevertheless good family summer fare aimed at younger audiences. Make sure to watch, and listen, for some great performances by the Drunk Monkey (voiced by Phil Proctor) and Pepito the pet chameleon (voiced by Jacob Vargas). The animals are adorable, the plot simple and the jokes funny. Don’t be surprised if your kids want to “talk to the animals”, not to mention bring some of them home, after seeing this one!
