Graphic by Trinity Kendrick ’21
BY GABY BARBER ’23
Released Jan. 17, “Dolittle,” a heartwarming adventure film, was the perfect way to unwind after a jam-packed first week of classes. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, Octavia Spencer, Kumail Nanjiani, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Tom Holland and John Cena. These actors lend their voices to a wide array of animals. Though human characters are fewer in number, big-name actors Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen take on these roles.
Overall, the plot of the movie was very easy to follow. It’s a basic adventure story, which is appropriate, considering the movie is geared towards younger children. The movie follows Dr. Dolittle, an isolated man who talks to animals on his journey to find a special fruit to save the ailing Queen of England.
That being said, I still found the film enjoyable. There were a variety of characters, several of whom had depth which I was not expecting. It was full of bright colors, dynamic characters and a good storyline.
Taking the lead as eccentric Dr. Dolittle, Downey does an adequate job. His performance is neither groundbreaking nor terrible, bringing the character to life, but not in a believable way.
Emma Thompson plays Polly the parrot and provides Dolittle with a voice of reason. Polly is not shy and helps Dolittle make important decisions. Thompson skillfully voices this brave and self-determined bird. Other standout animal characters include CheeChee the gorilla, voiced by Rami Malek, and Barry the tiger, voiced by Ralph Fiennes. Chee-Chee starts off timidly, scared of everything. By the end of the movie, he finds his bravery. His character growth adds more depth to the movie than I expected. Fiennes also contributes a performance that gives audiences a multifaceted character. He continues his legacy of scaring children on the big screen with a ferocious performance as Barry, and quickly changes the mood of the scene to one of sympathy for the big cat who will never be enough for his parents. These two characters are particularly interesting to watch, as they progress throughout their scenes. Dab-Dab, voiced by Octavia Spencer, provides comic relief as a duck that cannot tell the difference between vegetables and medical equipment.
Michael Sheen plays a rather unexciting villain who sets out to stop Dolittle from recovering the fruit and saving the Queen. I did not find his character, Dr. Müdfly, to be particularly interesting. He posed little opposition to Dolittle, and I found him more bitter than truly evil. Sheen’s acting was good enough, considering he was not provided with a dynamic character. To be fair, it is a children’s movie, so it would be unreasonable to expect a venomously enthralling antagonist.
Overall, I would recommend “Dolittle” to anyone looking to watch a cute adventure movie. It is far from a cinematic masterpiece, but it is entertaining and enjoyable. Part of the fun is trying to figure out which voice actor is which animal while you’re watching, and the other part of it is chuckling at the few jokes geared towards adults. If you’re looking for something to do instead of homework, or are simply bored on the weekend, go see “Dolittle” for some comic relief from college life.