Dr. Dolittle 3

When I sat down here in 2022 to watch the 2006 family movie "Dr. Dolittle 3", I didn't really expect a whole lot. Why? Well, given the nature of the concept behind the movie, then I figured three movies in that the soup must be boiled thin already.

However, I opted to give writers Nina Colman and Hugh Lofting's movie a chance, on the account of it being a movie that I hadn't already seen.

Oddly enough, then I will say that director Rich Thorne actually delivered a wholesome movie with "Dr. Dolittle 3". It was a storyline that entertained both me and my son, as we watched it together. Sure, the storyline is somewhat tacky and corny, but it still works out well enough. I was actually adequately entertained by this movie, despite it being somewhat generic and predictable.

The acting in the movie was good, and they definitely had a good cast ensemble, both for the people in the movie and also for the voice acting of the animals.

I am rating "Dr. Dolittle 3" a six out of ten stars, as it is a wholesome family.

My mom put this on our rental queue, and I did some research on it while it sat there while it snaked it's way to the top of the list. It was here at IMDb that I saw Red Flags, a shortened way of saying "things that indicate that the movie you are going to see is going to be a painful experience that you're probably going to turn off to stop the pain".

First off, no Eddie Murphy. Let's think about this, people: a sequel to a film whose main character isn't even present for. If the MOVIE is called Dr. Dolittle 3, I think you'd expect Dr. Dolittle to be there in some physical way. In other words, if they really wanted to waste some cash on a movie that shouldn't have been green lit but was because of a studio believing in capitalizing on franchises instead of releasing quality films, they should have renamed it.

Second Red Flag: hordes of reviewers calling it a "family movie". I'm sorry people, but if you're calling it a "family movie" it tends to be a euphemism for "hokey garbage that you hope will entertain your kids for 2 hours while you pray to God for it to end".

Red Flag #3, the fact that this was a straight to film release, a MAJOR sign of mediocrity/ disappointment being eminent: frankly, I don't know why production companies even release projects that are straight to video, they may as well just pull the plug on the project and get a refund much like the disappointed viewers who feel like they've been conned by the film companies.

The 4th Red Flag came when it arrived and we forced ourselves to watch it. 10 minutes later, the movie was turned off: none of us could sit through it because it was horrible and you could feel the financial failure pulsating through every frame. In other words, you're getting a jaded movie review here because I didn't even bother to watch the entire feature, and I'm pretty sure you understand why.

It was not a bad film but the first two had more substance. Having Eddie Murphy may have made it better. There were some funny scenes when the animals found out she could talk but the dog coming from home to the ranch was a bit impossible.

The one problem I had with the film is continuity. In Dr. Dolittle 2 the oldest daughter (Raven) was the one talking to the animals. They did not create a bridge to let you know how it switched to the younger daughter.

The decision to release it directly on video was a good move by the producers because it was not quite as good as the first two. All in all it was an enjoyable film.

This movie says over 10-15 fat jokes. It is supposed to be a kids movie but all it teaches kids is that its okay to make fun of people for their looks. Would not recommend. 5/10 without the fat jokes.

I have to say that I did not hate this movie. I can understand the 3. rating here at IMDb, but I cannot understand the poor reviews.

Kyla Pratt is awesome in this work! She is really coming into her own, AND she can sing like a bird.

The script is where the fault lies. You have a bunch of kids who must save a ranch, which is going out of business. This vehicle is so overused it has become cliché, and it sure did feel old, musty, and stale, in spite of Kyla Pratt and her stellar performance.

Some have suggested that they needed Murphy back for this installment to make it work. I say Murphy isn't necessary in ANY of his later films. What they needed was a good screenwriter, and producers who knew better than to approve a bucket of schlock as this.

It could have been great.

It rates a 4.4/10 from...

the Fiend :.