Do you want to see ‘Dr. Dolittle’?

Dr. Dolittle (1998)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Reviews Counted: 50
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 28

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 5.5/10
Critic Reviews: 8
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 4

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 815,345

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Movie Info

Betty Thomas directed this adaptation of the classic children's stories by Hugh Lofting (1886-1947), updating the original concepts into the present day. When noted surgeon Dr. John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) swerves his car to avoid hitting a dog, he hits his head on the windshield, triggering his long-dormant gift for holding conversations with animals. Friends, associates and his wife Lisa (Kristen Wilson), all express concern, but Dr. Dolittle is happy as he takes on new animal clients. Soon

PG-13, 1 hr. 25 min.

Comedy, Kids & Family

Directed By: Betty Thomas

Written By: Nat Mauldin, Larry Levinson

In Theaters: Jun 26, 1998 Wide

On DVD: Aug 3, 1999

20th Century Fox

Dr. Dolittle Trailer & Photos

Cast

Eddie Murphy
Dr. John Dolittle
Ossie Davis
Archer Dolittle
Oliver Platt
Dr. Mark Weller
Peter Boyle
Calloway
Richard Schiff
Dr. Gene Reiss
Kristen Wilson
Lisa Dolittle
Jeffrey Tambor
Dr. Fish
Kyla Pratt
Maya Dolittle
Raven Symone
Charisse Dolittle
Steven Gilborn
Dr. Litvack
Norm Macdonald
Lucky
Albert Brooks
Jacob
Chris Rock
Rodney
Reni Santoni
Rat #1
John Leguizamo
Rat #2
Julie Kavner
Female Pigeon
Garry Shandling
Male Pigeon
Gilbert Gottfried
Compulsive Dog
Ellen DeGeneres
Krisen Wilson
Brian Doyle-Murray
Jenna Elfman
Paul Reubens

Critic Reviews for Dr. Dolittle

All Critics (51) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (28) | DVD (10)

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.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Leonard Klady

Variety

Top Critic

The movie will not harm anyone, and in the audience I saw it with, lots of parents and kids seemed to be laughing together.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

The old actor's rule -- never work with animals or kids -- has never seemed more apt. The animals steal the scene from Murphy every time, and he gives it up gladly.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Salon.com

| Comment

Stephanie Zacharek

Salon.com

Top Critic

Dr. Dolittle runs out of ideas long before the projector runs out of film.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

Bob Graham

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

A cloying, humorless motion picture whose only assets are the work of Jim Henson's Creature Shop and a couple of good one-liners by a pair of rodents.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: ReelViews

| Comment

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Top Critic

This gimmicky animal tale is crude but funny.

January 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Ed Grant

Common Sense Media

Even star Eddie Murphy seems bored.

April 1, 2009 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comment

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

It's quite funny for the first thirty minutes, but after that it's kind of like beating a dead horse. A dead talking horse.

January 7, 2009 Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews

| Comment

Jon Popick

rec.arts.movies.reviews

Murphy's likeable, the script's laden with a gaggle of one-liners, and there's even a vague message nestling beneath the zoological chaos.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Derek Adams

Time Out

Dr. Dolittle is destined to be a money maker, since kids will see the talking animals and be instantly taken in, but it is the film's utter lack of anything wholesome that causes its downfall.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

| Comment

Anthony Miele

Film Threat

One of the things about Dr. Dolittle that helps raise it above kiddy-fare and give the accompanying adults a bit of amusing entertainment are the not-so-kid-targeted jokes.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews

| Comment

Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Click to read the article.

December 31, 2004 Full Review Source: StaciWilson.com

| Comment

Staci Layne Wilson

StaciWilson.com

Provides enough entertainment for the audience to enjoy the film despite [its] flaws.

June 17, 2004 Full Review | Comment

Dragan Antulov

rec.arts.movies.reviews

Dr. Dolittle doesn't cut it as a family film or as a comedy farce. It's too vulgar to be the former and too inconsistent to be the latter. But consider this movie to be a test -- how many times can you laugh at one joke?

May 22, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Blather

| Comment

Eugene Novikov

Film Blather

Eddie Murphy is one of those actors who is almost always funny. Although this is not one of his best movies, he is thoroughly enjoyable here, with the other actors mainly staying out of the way of his bits.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online

| Comment

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

Director Betty Thomas recruited a host of stand-up comedians to provide the voices for the animals, and it's a gimmick that works astonishingly well. Talking animals have never sounded so witty.

October 15, 2002 Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

| Comment

Margaret A. McGurk

Cincinnati Enquirer

Murphy does little more than react to stupid pet tricks.

July 3, 2002 Full Review | Comment

Jeffrey Westhoff

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

This movie is not fair to either man or beast. It makes all creatures seem annoying, charmless, noisy, witless and unfunny--unless you are fond of toilet and arse jokes.

June 5, 2002 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine

| Comment

Bridget Byrne

Boxoffice Magazine

Os roteiristas parecem pensar que o simples fato de estarmos vendo um cachorro resmungando � engra�ado, n�o importando o que ele fale. O problema � que importa, sim - e muito.

May 31, 2002 Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena

| Comment

Pablo Villaca

Cinema em Cena

The moral of Dr. Dolittle is follow your bliss no matter what anyone else thinks.

March 2, 2002 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice

| Comment

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

Why are creatures commenting here on copulation and what are anal thermometers doing being swallowed up by canines' rears in a kids' picture?

November 23, 2001 Full Review | Comment

Brandon Judell

Entertainment Asylum

Murphy himself is rather dull in the straight man role, and the jokes are pretty coarse for a family film. But it's certainly better than the lacklustre sequel, which finds Eddie playing second fiddle to a performing bear.

July 24, 2001 Full Review Source: BBC

| Comment

Neil Smith

BBC

Takes a children's story and makes it witty and slick enough for an adult audience, while also infusing obvious lessons for the younger generation about acceptance and tolerance for those who are different.

February 27, 2001 Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk

| Comment

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Dr. Dolittle

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This is yet another awful remake of a classic film. Eddie Murphy plays Dr. Doolittle, and this is one of the films that he's done where his acting suffered quite a bit and his comedic delivery started to be quite boring. After this dreadful film, Eddie Murphy starred in Bowfinger which was great, but really Dr.

December 11, 2011

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

OK+

July 6, 2011

Alexander Diminiano

Super Reviewer

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