Downey Delivers A Decent Enough Dolittle Update

Robert Downey Jr. truly loves to show off his mastery of various accents as well as his affinity for eccentric characters, and in this latest rendition of the beloved classic simply titled Dolittle, he gets to show us both.

Dolittle is set seven years after the death of the titular character and eccentric John Dolittle (Downey), famed doctor and veterinarian in Victorian England, becomes a hermit, hiding himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor, with only his menagerie of animals for company.

But when Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and encounters wondrous creatures.

I didn’t really have many expectations going in. I was hoping for an entertaining family adventure and I got that, more or less.

The acting was solid. Downey as the titular hero has proven that he can bring the best out of any role he is given. I truly enjoyed hearing a different dialect from his usual London English accent — it helped to make the character feel fresh.

The other standout performance was Michael Sheen. He was the standard mustache twirling villain, but he added his own charm. 

The rest of the cast was fine, but no breakout performances from the human cast. The voice cast was a who’s who of celebrity voice actors, far too many to go into details, but talents like John Cena and Octavia Spencer were amazing.

The music and visuals were solid, standard fare for family films.

I definitely didn’t hate this movie, but we aren’t looking at a future entry in the Criterion collection.

I give Dolittle (Universal Pictures, PG, 1hr 41mins) a 3 out of 5.