Dr. Dolittle (film)

This article is about the 1998 film. For the 1967 film, see Doctor Dolittle (film).

Dr. Dolittle
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Betty Thomas
Produced by	John Davis David T. Friendly Joseph Singer
Written by	Hugh Lofting Nat Mauldin Larry Levin
Starring	Eddie Murphy Oliver Platt Kristen Wilson Ossie Davis
Music by	Richard Gibbs
Editing by	Peter Teschner
Studio	Davis Entertainment Friendly Films
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	June 26, 1998 (1998-06-26)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$70.5 million
Box office	$294,456,605[1]

Dr. Dolittle is a 1998 American family comedy film starring Eddie Murphy as a doctor who discovers that he has the ability to talk to (and understand) animals. The film was loosely based on the series of children's stories of the same name, but none of the material from any of the novels was used; in fact, it could be said that one of the few resemblances is a doctor who can speak to animals. Notably the pushmi-pullyu, a much loved feature of the books, only makes a very brief appearance in the first scene in which the tiger appears in his cage. The first novel had been originally filmed in 1967 as a musical under the same title, a closer adaptation to the book. The earlier film was a box office bomb, but still remains a cult classic and a two-time Academy Award-winner. Although the 1998 film was rated PG-13 by the MPAA, it was marketed as a family film.

The 1998 film was a success, and generated a theatrical sequel that was released in 2001, simply titled Dr. Dolittle 2. Both films also starred Raven-Symoné and Kyla Pratt as Dolittle's daughters. A third movie, Dr. Dolittle 3, with Pratt playing the main character, was released direct-to-video in 2006, and it did not star Eddie Murphy or Raven-Symoné. A fourth film, Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief, was released straight to DVD in 2008. A fifth film, Dr. Dolittle Million Dollar Mutts was released straight to DVD in 2009.^[2]

Plot

The film opens with John Dolittle as a child talking to his dog (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres). He asks his dog questions, one being "Why do dogs sniff each other's butts"? Her response is that it's their way of shaking hands. His concerned father (Ossie Davis) hears the question and says that the dog doesn't have any idea what he said. He was wrong. He finds this out when John meets his new principal and sniffs his butt. The dog obviously knows something is going to happen. When his father hires a minister to remove the devil from him (and freaking him out), the dog saves him by biting the minister. The dog is then given-up for adoption. John is very upset and stops talking to animals as his father teaches him to hate them.

Thirty years later, we see John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) shooing a puppy out of his apartment. He is a doctor, married with two children, and an animal hater. His 13-year-old daughter Charisse (Raven-Symoné) wants to be named Paprika. His youngest daughter Maya (Kyla Pratt) is a nerdy girl who does experiments, such as raising what she believes to be a swan egg so it will bond with her. She also has a Guinea Pig named Rodney (voiced by Chris Rock). John's wife Lisa (Kristen Wilson) wants to spend time with him. Meanwhile at work, a large medical company owner named Calloway (Peter Boyle) wants to buy his practice. This is welcomed by the employees as they think it will bring financial gain.

John takes his family out to the country for a vacation. After taking the family to the country, he has to stay late at work to give Mrs. Parkus (Cherie Franklin), a woman who is addicted to shellfish in spite of the fact that she is highly allergic to it, medication.

Driving home, he nearly hits a dog and bumps his head on the windshield. Alive and well, the mutt walks away and shouts "Watch where you're going next time, you bone-head!". This is the first time that John has understood an animal since his childhood. The next day, John is driving Rodney to the country and Rodney starts talking to him.

Up in the country, an owl (voiced by Jenna Elfman) asks him to remove a twig in her wing. He obliges and she tells all the animals about his kind act. Soon many animals start asking favors of John. Scared, he goes to see Dr. Sam Litvak (Steven Gilborn) for a CAT scan, but nothing is wrong with him. He then meets two trash-eating rats (voiced by Reni Santoni and John Leguizamo) who obviously don't like him. The next day he finds the dog he nearly hit being taken to a kennel. John rescues the dog, and takes him to the vet. Slowly becoming friends, John and the later decide his name should be 'Lucky'.

John makes a deal with Maya. If she stays at camp John will give her Lucky. That night a large bunch of animals come to see the Doctor for treatment, including a drunken circus monkey, two dysfunctional pigeons, a goat with a rash, an OCD dog, and a pair of cloned sheep with rectal trauma. Along the way, John relearns to appreciate his gift and confides in Lucky that he feels more energized about his work than he has in years. After he fits a nearsighted police horse for special glasses, the drunken monkey tells the doctor about a sick circus tiger (voiced by Albert Brooks). They find the tiger, named Jake, on top of Coit Tower attempting to commit suicide, while the rats make fun of him. John and Lucky attempt to stop him, saying that everyone loves tigers (using Tony the Tiger and "Eye of the Tiger" as examples) and that John can cure him. His work with animals distracts him from a meeting with Calloway and from spending time with his wife. Soon, Lisa discovers all the animals.

She and Mark catch him giving CPR to one of the rats, which was a false alarm (a.k.a Gas) while conversing with the other one. Thinking he is crazy, his friends and family send him to an asylum where he meets Blaine (an uncredited Paul Giamatti), an enemy of John from medical school. Meanwhile, the Tiger is getting sicker so Lucky tries to break John out of the asylum. John is mad at all the animals for sending him to the asylum, but Lucky says that he is hiding from his true self. With the help of Blaine's cat, John is released. Maya, at home because she did not fit in, tells her Grandpa that she believes her dad has the gift of gab. Overhearing this, he realizes his mistake. So, during the party where Calloway will buy the company, John and Lucky go to the circus, pick up Jake, and take him to the clinic so they can cure him. Meanwhile, the police are after John, but Lucky gathers all the animals of San Francisco to help guard the building in which John is operating on the tiger (although, due in part to a misunderstanding because of the pigeons choice of words ("Pigs go home!"), some of the animals involved in guarding the building nearly left).

But because they need to go through the party, and because Rodney is there, Jake comes out from under the hospital bed and scares everyone. Soon everyone is watching the operation. Lisa is now upset that her husband thinks he can talk to animals. John's father finally reveals that he, in fact, can. With that said, she comes in the operating room to comfort Jake. John finds out that Jake is suffering from a blood clot stuck in his head, and with that, saves his life. Calloway is watching this and he is very impressed. He wants to buy the company, but John declines his offer.

In the end, John is now a both human doctor and a veterinarian. Maya's egg hatches, revealing it to be an alligator. The rats are discontent with the ending as it is happy, but the owl appears and chases them away, making motions as if she were trying to eat them. John and Lucky are seen walking to the circus to visit Jake and talking about their future as friends while the song "Talk with the Animals" plays in the background.

Cast

Actor	Role
Eddie Murphy	Dr. John Dolittle
Ossie Davis	Grandpa Archer Dolittle
Kristen Wilson	Lisa Dolittle
Oliver Platt	Dr. Mark Weller
Richard Schiff	Dr. Gene "Geno" Reiss
Peter Boyle	Calloway
Jeffrey Tambor	Dr. Fish
Kyla Pratt	Maya Dolittle
Raven-Symone	Charisse Dolittle
Paul Giamatti	Blaine Hammersmith (uncredited)
Pruitt Taylor Vince	Patient at Hammersmith (uncredited)

Animal Voice Cast

Actor	Role	Animal
Norm Macdonald	Lucky	Dog
Albert Brooks	Jacob	Tiger
Chris Rock	Rodney	Guinea Pig
Reni Santoni	Rat #1	Rat
John Leguizamo	Rat #2	Rat
Phil Proctor	Drunk Monkey	Monkey
Julie Kavner	Female Pigeon	Pigeon
Garry Shandling	Male Pigeon	Pigeon
Ellen DeGeneres	John's Childhood Dog	Dog
Jenna Elfman	Friendly Owl	Owl
Brian Doyle-Murray	Old Beagle	Dog
Gilbert Gottfried	Compulsive Dog	Dog
Paul Reubens	Raccoon	Raccoon
Jonathan Lipnicki	Tiger Cub	Tiger
Jeff Doucette	Possum	Possum
Archie Hahn	Heavy Woman's Dog	Dog
Tom Towles	German Shepherd	Dog
Royce D. Applegate	'I Love You' Dog	Dog
Hamilton Camp	Pig	Pig

Soundtrack

Year	Album	Peak chart positions		Certifications
		U.S.	U.S. R&B
1998	Dr. Dolittle Released: June 16, 1998 Label: Atlantic	4	4	US: 2× Platinum

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $29,014,324 million in 2,777 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box office, was the best debut for an Fox film that week. By the end of its run, Dr. Dolittle grossed $144,156,605 in the United States and $150,300,000 internationally, totaling $294,456,605 worldwide.^[3]

References

1. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=drdolittle.htm
2. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1080926/
3. ^ "Dr. Dolittle (1998)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=drdolittle.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 

External links

• Dr. Dolittle at the Internet Movie Database