Film and TV
DOLITTLE (dir. Stephen Gaghan, PG)
There’s no denying Robert Downey jnr utterly commits to Dolittle, a family-friendly oddity that arrives on-screen after extensive behindthe-scenes drama.
From the off this adaptation sets itself apart as being singularly weird — not least because Downey, as the titular doctor who can talk to the animals, here assumes a garbled, rasping accent that seems to fluctuate between Scottish, Welsh and some sort of English.
It’s a strange choice for the actor’s first major turn post-avengers and his interpretation of the character is perplexing, incorporating a loose assembly of tics and idiosyncrasies that distract and fail to give the viewer insight into the doctor’s interior.
Set in Victorian England, the film loosely centres on an animal-loving young boy (Harry Collett, ably filling the role of “bland sidekick”) who stumbles on Dolittle living as a recluse in an animal sanctuary. The two are quickly embroiled in a palace intrigue, embarking on a mission for a life-saving elixir for the Queen, who has fallen victim to a mysterious illness.
Along for the ride are a menagerie of colourful exotic animals, a troupe of supporters for the doctor, voiced by a stacked bench of famous performers — Tom Holland, a dog; Rami Malek, a gorilla; Ralph Fiennes, a tiger; and so on. Few of the voice performers feel well-cast. In fact, in many cases their presence serves to break the believability of things; Emma Thompson fares best as Dolittle’s voice-of-reason, a blue macaw.
Dolittle is a quirky, haphazard film — clearly subject to ruthless editing and reshooting — lacking in clear tone. Nothing really makes much sense, with character motivations turning on a dime despite some bizarrely committed performances (notably from the wonderful Michael Sheen as a moustache-twirling villain and Antonio Banderas in a brief but impactful turn as an imperious ruler). It’s lovely to see Downey in a new role — any role — that doesn’t involve him donning an iron suit but one does long for the days when his performances felt less like excessive quirk and more dangerous and thrillingly alive — think Zodiac or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Downey here feels less like he’s making an ambitious choice and more like he’s making a needlessly overcooked one, a la Johnny Depp’s recent career output.
The film is too convoluted in dialogue and plot for little kids but overcompensates with juvenile kid-friendly gags and anachronisms (a polar bear who calls everyone “bro”, for example) that rarely elicit chuckles from the over-5 crowd.
The action and villains are rarely pulseraising; its hero feels more mysterious by film’s end than at the beginning. One gets the impression many different hands have had a go trying to “fix” this film, and the result has left Dolittle hopelessly muddled.