There are some movies that may have a poor history but make up for being fun and making us laugh. This is one of them. It tells the story of John Dolittle, a doctor who has been talking to animals since he was a child. But thanks to his parents' efforts, he has forgotten this gift as he grows up ... until suddenly, for no apparent reason, he begins to hear animals talk and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown over it.
Sound improbable? In fact, it is ... if I had such a gift, I certainly would not suddenly discover it after years and years without using it. The movie does not explain how Dolittle managed to go years without hearing animals and suddenly begin to hear them so clearly. It is a sudden and unbelievable change. However, the whole plot of the movie is weak. There is truly no story to tell ... what we have here is a basic script skeleton that only serves as the basis for a succession of jokes presented to us by Eddie Murphy and all the animals with whom he plays. The humor is based on dialogues, speech and situations involving animals, to the point that they become the real protagonists and Murphy loses relevance in the film. But trying to see this movie from the logical side means taking all the fun out of it. In fact, we enjoy the movie better if we tolerate the faults of the poor and poor script and simply get carried away by what we are seeing and enjoying the jokes.
Eddie Murphy, with this movie and others that followed, probably lived his golden age as an actor. He got money, fame, popularity, good deals ... but in fact he never shows value as an actor. Not because he doesn't have it - he showed it in other movies - but because he had so little to do in this movie! Murphy does little while he is Dolittle (curious!). Of the rest of the cast it is better not to speak. The voice actors (notably Norm MacDonald and Chris Rock) shone more brightly than the entire human cast.
Technically, the movie is quite regular. Not excellent and having very poor visual and sound effects. The soundtrack is virtually non-existent and even the opening and ending themes are uninteresting.
Sound improbable? In fact, it is ... if I had such a gift, I certainly would not suddenly discover it after years and years without using it. The movie does not explain how Dolittle managed to go years without hearing animals and suddenly begin to hear them so clearly. It is a sudden and unbelievable change. However, the whole plot of the movie is weak. There is truly no story to tell ... what we have here is a basic script skeleton that only serves as the basis for a succession of jokes presented to us by Eddie Murphy and all the animals with whom he plays. The humor is based on dialogues, speech and situations involving animals, to the point that they become the real protagonists and Murphy loses relevance in the film. But trying to see this movie from the logical side means taking all the fun out of it. In fact, we enjoy the movie better if we tolerate the faults of the poor and poor script and simply get carried away by what we are seeing and enjoying the jokes.
Eddie Murphy, with this movie and others that followed, probably lived his golden age as an actor. He got money, fame, popularity, good deals ... but in fact he never shows value as an actor. Not because he doesn't have it - he showed it in other movies - but because he had so little to do in this movie! Murphy does little while he is Dolittle (curious!). Of the rest of the cast it is better not to speak. The voice actors (notably Norm MacDonald and Chris Rock) shone more brightly than the entire human cast.
Technically, the movie is quite regular. Not excellent and having very poor visual and sound effects. The soundtrack is virtually non-existent and even the opening and ending themes are uninteresting.