| Dr. Dolittle | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Betty Thomas |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Doctor Dolittle byHugh Lofting |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Russell Boyd |
| Edited by | Peter Teschner |
| Music by | Richard Gibbs |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $71.5 million |
| Box office | $294.4 million[3] |
Dr. Dolittle is a 1998 Americanfantasycomedy film directed byBetty Thomas, written by Larry Levin and Nat Mauldin, and starringEddie Murphy in the title role, along withOssie Davis andOliver Platt. The film is loosely based onthe series of children's stories byHugh Lofting.
Dr. Dolittle received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office success, grossing $294 million against a $72 million budget.
The film's success generated a theatrical sequel,Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), and three films released direct to video:Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006),Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (2008), andDr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts (2009).
In 1968, five-year old John Dolittle displays an ability to hear whatanimals are saying, starting with his owndog. John asks his dog questions like: "Why do dogs sniff each other's butts?" and the dog's response is that it is their own way ofshaking hands, and John does it when meeting his newprincipal Mr. Galvin. His behavior concerns his father Archer, who hires a localpriest to perform anexorcism on John in order to remove the "devil" from him. During the exorcism, the dog bites and attacks the priest, resulting in Archer sending the dog away. Following this ordeal, John eventually stops talking to animals and soon forgets he can.
Thirty years later in 1998, John is adoctor and asurgeon living inSan Francisco,California. He is happily married to his wife Lisa, and has two daughters, typical teenager Charisse, and nerdy Maya, who has a petguinea pig named Rodney, and what she believes is aswan egg, which she hopes will bond with her upon hatching. A large medical company owned by Mr. Calloway seeks to buy John's practice, a deal which one of his colleagues, Dr. Mark Weller, is enthusiastic about, though their other colleague, Dr. Gene Reiss, is skeptical about the deal due to the potential of downsizing patients and staff.
John's family goes on vacation, while John goes back to work to see a patient, and then pick up Rodney. On his way home, he accidentally nearly hits a dog with hisSUV, causing the dog to scold him in anger. Afterward, as John is driving to the cabin his family is staying at with Rodney in the car, Rodney starts talking to John, causing him to believe he is having a mental breakdown. John has aCT scan after animals start asking for favors when he helps a hurtowl, and he then unwittingly adopts the dog he nearly ran over, eventually naming him Lucky. John later starts secretly helping various animals, including a suicidal circustiger named Jake, who suffers from vision problems and crippling headaches. Through all this, John begins learning to re-appreciate his gift, at one point confiding to both Lucky and Mark that he hasn't felt excited about his work in years. However, Lisa and Mark catch him performingCPR on arat, and have him sent to amental hospital.
Believing his gift is a hindrance, John rejects all abnormality in his life and returns to work, but in doing so, ostracizes Maya as well, who comes to believe he dislikes her. Maya admits to Archer that she liked the idea of her father talking to animals, and John has a change of heart when he eavesdrops on the conversation. He admits to Maya that he does not like, but loves her for who she is, and encourages her to continue being what she wants to be.
John then apologizes to Lucky, and together, they sneak Jake out of the circus and take him to the hospital to perform surgery on him, on the same night a party is going on where Calloway will buy the company. Mark and Gene catch John, but Gene tires of Mark's greedy attitude and decides to assist John. Soon, Jake, his symptoms worsening to the point of becoming gravely ill, is exposed in front of everyone at the party, and they all watch as John and Gene operate on Jake in the operating theater. Archer reveals to Lisa that John's gift is real, encouraging her to venture into the theater and keep Jake calm while John and Gene discover Jake is suffering from ablood clot in hisgreat cerebral vein and successfully remove it, saving Jake's life. Calloway is impressed with John's efforts and offers to buy the place, though John declines Calloway's offer.
John becomes both a doctor and aveterinarian afterwards, embracing his ability to talk to animals. Maya's egg hatches into a babyalligator, and the final scene shows John and Lucky walking on the street together with John talking about how he's going to treat animals and people, and Lucky talking about how he wants different treatment from now on, while the owl is shown chasing after the rats.
Lead puppeteer
Puppeteers
| Dr. Dolittle: The Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by various artists | ||||
| Released | June 16, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997–98 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop,R&B | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Timbaland,Rodney Jerkins,The Legendary Traxster, Various | |||
| Dr. Dolittle soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dr. Dolittle | ||||
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The soundtrack was released on June 16, 1998, throughAtlantic Records and consisted of a blend ofhip-hop andcontemporary R&B. The soundtrack was a huge success, peaking at 4 on both theBillboard 200 and theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum on October 20 the same year.AllMusic rated the soundtrack four stars out of five.[4]
The soundtrack's only charting single, "Are You That Somebody?" byAaliyah, also found success, making it to 21 on theBillboard Hot 100 and received a nomination forBest Female R&B Vocal Performance at the41st Annual Grammy Awards.[5]
Information taken fromDr. Dolittle: The Album liner notes:[6]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That's Why I Lie" (Ray J) | Rodney Jerkins | 4:51 | |
| 2. | "Let's Ride (Remix)" (Montell Jordan featuring Shaunta) |
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| 4:53 |
| 3. | "Are You That Somebody?" (Aaliyah) | Timbaland | 4:27 | |
| 4. | "Same Ol' G" (Ginuwine) |
| Timbaland | 4:21 |
| 5. | "Lady Marmalade (Timbaland Remix)" (All Saints) |
| 4:03 | |
| 6. | "Da Funk" (Timbaland) | Mosley | Timbaland | 4:29 |
| 7. | "Do Little Things" (Changing Faces featuringIvan Matias) | 5:09 | ||
| 8. | "Your Dress" (Playa) |
| Timbaland | 3:59 |
| 9. | "Woof Woof" (69 Boyz) | Van Bryant |
| 4:11 |
| 10. | "Rock Steady" (Dawn Robinson) | Aretha Franklin | Jake and the Phatman | 3:05 |
| 11. | "In Your World" (Twista andSpeedknot Mobstaz) | The Legendary Traxster | 4:50 | |
| 12. | "Lovin' You So" (Jody Watley) |
| Dwayne Wiggins | 3:35 |
| 13. | "Dance" (Robin S. featuringMary Mary) | Warryn Campbell | 3:38 | |
| 14. | "Push 'Em Up" (Eddie Kane & DeVille featuringDJ Toomp) |
| DJ Toomp | 3:46 |
| 15. | "Ain't Nothin' but a Party" (The Sugarhill Gang) |
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| 3:57 |
Sample credits[6]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
On its opening weekend,Dr. Dolittle earned $29,014,324 across 2,777 theaters in theUnited States andCanada, ranking #1 at the box office, the best debut for a 20th Century Fox film that week. It would go on to achieve the biggest opening weekend for anEddie Murphy film, beatingThe Nutty Professor.[8] That record would be surpassed by its successorNutty Professor II: The Klumps in 2000.[9] By the end of its run, the film had grossed $144,156,605 in the United States and $150,300,000 internationally, totaling $294,456,605 worldwide.[3]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 43% based on reviews from 53 critics, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Doctor Dolittle finds some mirth in the novelty of wisecracking critters, but this family feature's treacly tone is made queasy by a reliance on scatological gags that undercut the intended warmth".[10] OnMetacritic, it hasweighted average score of 46 out of 100 based on reviews from 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[11] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film a grade "A−" on scale of A to F.[12]
Leonard Klady ofVariety called it "slim on story and rife with scatological jokes, the film may strike a chord with pre-teens but misses for an older crowd despite some nifty effects and broad humor".[13]Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times dismissed the film as "a complete waste of time and potential".[14]
Nathan Rabin ofThe A.V. Club wrote: "Murphy is stuck playing second fiddle to the film's menagerie of nutty animals, he makes an engaging straight man. Dr. Dolittle isn't as sharp or consistent as Murphy'sThe Nutty Professor, but it's an amusing, lightweight diversion".[15]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 and wrote: "Too many adults have a tendency to confuse bad taste with evil influences; it's hard for them to see that the activities inDoctor Dolittle, while rude and vulgar, are not violent or anti-social. The movie will not harm anyone".[16]
Dr. Dolittle was released onLaserDisc andVHS on November 24, 1998,DVD on August 3, 1999, andBlu-ray disc on March 18, 2014, by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
A video game based on the film was released in Europe for thePlayStation 2 on November 29, 2006.[17]
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