Dr. Dolittle 2

A few months ago, I saw "Doctor Dolittle" (the 1998 remake) for the first time in years. I liked it when I was twelve years old, so I was curious to know what I would think after growing up, despite having low expectations. My expectations were surpassed slightly, but if I had never seen "Dr. Dolittle 2" before, its predecessor wouldn't have been enough to make me interested in seeing it, but I did see it about four years ago, and enjoyed it. I was seventeen, past this movie's targeted audience, but didn't tend to watch a lot of movies at the time. I just watched this sequel again, and my once again low expectations were not surpassed at all.

Dr. John Dolittle has become famous for his ability to communicate with animals, but lately, he has also been having trouble with his family. One day, he is brought to the forest to see the Godbeaver, and learns that the forest is rapidly being cut down. The animals who live in this forest are counting on Dr. Dolittle to save their habitat, and in order to do so, the doctor must attempt to get a female Pacific Western bear in the forest named Ava together with a male so he can save the species! He gets a male bear of this species named Archie from a circus, and begins his attempt to get him adjusted to life in the wild and teach him how to win Ava's heart, both of which are easier said than done! It doesn't help that Archie has to compete with a Kodiak bear named Sonny, and logging company owner Joe Potter is determined to get his way!

Although I found no huge laughs in "Doctor Dolittle", I did find some minor ones. However, in this sequel, I found none. I smiled at times, but VERY rarely and briefly. Like its predecessor, "Dr. Dolittle 2" contains some juvenile excretion jokes, though it is a TAD cleaner, for better or worse (since it was aimed at kids, many would probably say it's for the better). These jokes are usually lame, if not always, a good example being the scene where Archie has diarrhea. There are also some embarrassing lines in the script, such as the one Dr. Dolittle has, humiliating his daughter, Charisse by telling her boyfriend how she tried to get out of diapers early and made messes around the house. Fortunately, the movie isn't totally filled with these problems, but most of the film is basically average and forgettable in my book.

Both Dr. Dolittle films starring Eddie Murphy are rather cheesy, and would definitely appeal to kids more than anyone else, but this one more so than the original. If you don't like the 1998 film, then you probably wouldn't like this one, either, but if you do, then you STILL might not like this sequel. "Dr. Dolittle 2" may have a slightly better plot than its predecessor, but overall, it is inferior, not that I'm saying the original is really that good. If you ask me, 1998's "Doctor Dolittle" is very close to being strictly for kids, and this sequel is right there. Remembering the film's targeted audience, I guess it deserves some credit, but if you're not part of that audience, and are not a parent of anyone who is, I wouldn't say there's any need to bother. After watching this, I definitely won't be watching the straight-to-video "Dr. Dolittle 3".

Dr. Dolittle 2 is a film that attempts to poke fun at some of today's pop culture. Jokes involving "Super Size," "Wassssssup," and "The Backstreet Boys," all appear within this sequel. However, this type of film has to be backed up with something more than witty animal comments, and opinions on pop culture. The animals give their part, but unfortunately the humans don't. The characters in this story, including Dr. Dolittle, are uninteresting. No one wants to see the formulaic family that has problems, and everyone knows that by the end of the film they'll all still love each other. That formula promotes boredom. Despite the foolish characters, this comedy isn't a total flop. Children will probably laugh at the crude jokes, while parents fall asleep. The animals give their 50%, but the humans are the ones who are lacking. I think its about time for Eddie Murphy to move on, and for Hollywood to drop the "Dolittle" franchise. **--C+

"Dr. Dolittle 2" is pretty much what you would expect out of a family comedy, only a tad more crude. We could've done with maybe one less gag about animal urination. The plot is a pious, predictable one involving the preservation of an endangered species of bears. You know, one of those storylines that's supposed to deliver a "message" to all the young ones out there.

Like usual, we have the talking animals voiced by a variety of celebrities. Steve Zahn lends his voice to one of the lead animal characters. He's actually quite funny at times, as a bear/circus performer who's overcome by stardom, and now that he found out he's part of an endangered species he has to learn how to live like a normal bear: start hibernating, eating fish, etc. Lisa Kudrow is the voice of his love interest. Michael Rapaport is funny as a racoon who's the henchman of an alleged animal Mafia.

Since the Dolittle's daughter (Raven-Symone) is all grown-up, we have to expect the obvious romantic subplot in which she hits puberty and engages in an active dating life. Her father, naturally, has doubts about her new supposedly rebellious boyfriend (Lil' Zane). So we're dragged through that unnecessary subplot, which pretty much serves as filler to complete a running time of 100 minutes.

Lately, Eddie Murphy has been tackling PG projects like this and "Shrek." A few years back, he took a try at cleaning his act when doing a voice-over for Disney's "Mulan." Then again, in the flop "Holy Man." I have to admire him for showing his more sanitized approach to comedy. Despite his inability to use the "f" word, he proves he's still a multi-talented comedian and not a talented comedian whose act is totally watered-down and dull because of being forced to clean up his mouth. Though he pretty much plays the straight man (I also have to admire him for his discipline, in remaining subdued and in character rather than viewing the movie as no more than a showcase for his comedy), he still belts out some witty one-liners and proves to be just as funny as his animal companions.

I don't really have any strong opinions about this movie. It's harmless, but it could've used a major rewrite. It's funny at times, but could've been a lot funnier (and less crude). Don't worry, you won't be seeing any gags involving birds crapping into people's mouths or a thermometer getting stuck into a dog's behind. The film has just enough crudeness to achieve the PG rating, but we still could've done without it. Your kids will be rolling in the aisles, while the adults may want to take a few popcorn and bathroom breaks. Not bad (especially for a sequel), but forgettable and even somewhat dull. You're better off catching this one on video.

My score: 6 (out of 10)

A couple of nights ago, I rented two movies at my local Blockbuster Video out of curiosity. Being someone who loves animals, I rented "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" and "Dr. Dolittle 2" just for the heck of it (the former because I think Jim Carrey is hilarious but had avoided that particular title out of fear of it being a disappointment, the latter because I was interested in seeing the talking animal effects). After loving the first title far better than expected, I had the pleasure of writing it up with compliments here for other IMDb readers.

"Dr. Dolittle 2", however, was a flop for me.

Now, I do have to admit that I was basically prepared to be disappointed for this one the same way I was with "When Nature Calls". I grew up with the beloved original "Dr. Dolittle" movie starring the talented Rex Harrison and adored the original books. I was absolutely convinced that this movie would be a dumb attempt to cash in on the original and make it "marketable" and "hip" in that lousy, gross-out way that only Hollywood marketing executives can when digging for dollars. But I watched it anyway, hoping that I could at least enjoy the talking animals, and I would have been spared a lot of headaches if only someone had been around to talk me out of this temporary lapse of better judgement.

Let me start by saying that this movie has nothing to do with the original concept. Nothing. The animals talk and the main character has a famous name along with the ability to understand them, and it's there that any similarities end.

How bad was this film? Let me put it this way: it was a heap worse than I had anticipated, so much so that I shut it off two-thirds of the way in. It was simply too much of an embarrassment, and I found myself plotting to return it in the middle of the night after work when Blockbuster would be closed so no one would see me carrying it!

The absolute worst problem with this film has to do with Eddie Murphy himself--a strong reminder of why he didn't have a hit film for something going on a decade. Simply put, he isn't likeable: he plays this role the precise same way he has played nearly all of his roles, as an obnoxious "Why do I have to be stuck in this position, I wish I was doing something else better with my time" jerk who merely puts up with his dilemma. He also seems so ANNOYED in most of his movies.

In the grossly overrated "Beverly Hills Cop" films, he was an annoyed cop who had to have everything his own way. In "The Golden Child", he was an annoyed locator of missing children who put up with his job as well as his mission simply because he was stuck with it. Except for the occasional "Mulan" (the only performance of his I liked, by the way), he always whines, snarls, screams, curses and is generally pessimistic. And in this film, he is annoyed at the mere idea of being the world's most unique animal doctor.

Eddie Murphy has managed to accomplish the impossible here--he has actually managed to make the idea of being able to talk to animals into a thoroughly unenjoyable and miserable routine. Simply put, he takes all the fun out of such a concept.

What child HASN'T wanted to talk to animals? It was the one thing I wished I could do for as long as I could remember. If given the choice of any one magical ability (even if I were to include the ability to fly in a would-be list to choose from), it would easily be being able to converse with animals. But here, you get the impression that God simply plopped this amazing talent on precisely the wrong individual. Murphy doesn't even seem to genuinely *care* about animals--it's all an "Okay, okay, I'll do it, but only because I feel like I have to and not because I have any heart for it" sort of arrangement for him. All the while, what with that expression on his face, you keep expecting him to mutter, "God, why ME? This is such a pain in the NECK!!!" And in this attitude while conversing with the various animals on screen, he does everything except slap them with his "I'm always right, so you'd better listen to me" sharpness.

There is something seriously wrong with a script when Dr. Dolittle is overly annoyed in dealing with, much more so being the only person on the planet able to talk to, animals.

Here's my say: if this material had to be remade at all, it should have at least been given to a comedian who could have worked wonders with its concept and genuinely enjoyed it. Imagine Robin Williams, or Steve Martin, or (you guessed it) even Carrey himself portraying this role. Heck, even the late John Candy. Any of them as well as dozens of others could have made this work because they have something which Murphy has always lacked--a sense of lightheartedness and joy when given the opportunity to work with fantastical and outlandish material.

Watching this dreck, though, I seriously get the impression that Eddie Murphy picked the project simply because he knows he had nearly killed his own career with portraying annoyingly selfish, self-centered bores and wanted to do something to change his image into something lighter in an attempt to save it. Or at least his agent did. Whatever. All I have to say is--Eddie, if you want to convince us you can do something fun then you need to lighten yourself up first. Talking animal effects and potty humour do no automatically make you a whiz at family entertainment. Basically, you're just doing your same old "Beverly Hills Cop personality" routine with gimmicky windowdressing, and it doesn't work.

But such a long review on my behalf was far better than this film deserves. If it weren't for the fact that I wanted to share my feelings on it with others, I would have otherwise simply written one line here: "I'll pass on this movie."

Dr. Dolitle has Murphy back as the doctor who can talk to animals once again comes back, this time he has to help a bear become a, uh, man of a bear in order to save a forest. While the first one had as many fart and poop jokes as this one, it didn't have it's vivacity and it's effect to be funny to both kids and adults. This time, it's strictly for kids and it is below par for Murphy; if you want to see him in an exceptional comedy see Shrek again. Various stars give voices which keep this movie afloat including Steve Zahn, Lisa Kudrow, Isaac Hayes, Kevin Pollack, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Dick and above all, Norm MacDonald. C+