Here’s the premise:Â Â After his wife’s death, Dr. Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) decides to hide from the world with his beloved animals. After years of exile, he has to take a journey to a mysterious island to find a healing tree, which is the only medicine that can help to the dying Queen in Buckingham Palace.
There have been many iterations of Dr.Dolittle; from Rex Harrison to Eddie Murphy, and now Robert Downey Jr. takes his turn at the iconic talker to animals. To be honest, you could nick pick the heck out of this movie if you wanted to, but then you lose the fun that made most of us fall in love with movies in the first place. I choose to enjoy the ride, and this movie is a fun ride.
The story was basic, giving the background of the good doctor, and then explaining how he lost his wife and is not a recluse; flash forward a few years and Dolittle will not see other people, just wants to stay cooped up in his animal sanctuary. When the Queen needs his help, he and several friends come out of seclusion to help out.
Everyone does a great job, the acting is decent and the magic of the animals talking was just as magic as when I was a child watching Rex, and again when I was older, and laughing with Eddie; Robert stands just as tall as the previous actors.
If you have kids, take them and see through their eyes, and be a kid again.
Michael Trichel
