Have You Headed Out To See “Dolittle” Yet?
Don’t worry, not many have!
Even with Robert Downey Jr. in the lead, playing a very beloved character, the opening box office for “Doolittle” has been bad, and the reviews are worse!
Look at this cast: even though most are voicing the computer-generated animals, this is an impressive collection of talent …check out the trailer:
Well, you do NOT want a green “splat” like this…the trailer itself gives one pause – and the first reviews haven’t helped.
As The Playlist said:
“It’s a dull, plodding retread with new souped-up VFX that’s deeply uninvolving.”
As Variety review stated:
“What should have been an awe-filled adventure quickly curdles into an awful one, thanks to a pedestrian formula and the filmmakers’ fixation on fart jokes.”
Here’s what Deadline.com said this morning:
Critics at 19% Rotten on Rotten Tomatoes complain that the movie doesn’t have any human feeling, is too long, lifeless given the VFX with Rolling Stone‘s Peter Travers exclaiming “Come back, Cats, we forgive you” and NPR’s Scott Tobias hysterically sniping, “Dolittle is a not a film. Dolittle is a crime scene in need of forensic analysis. Something happened here. Something terrible. Something inexplicable.”
Need more? Well, here they are:
Um…you can see that the reviews have been overwhelming negative, and the opening weekend box office looks DISMAL as well!
That handy “review” chart was courtesy of Jeffrey Wells and his terrific website “Hollywood Elsewhere.” it’s worth a bookmark if you love to talk movies, pop culture and the wacky world of entertainment….you can find it here:
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com
Audiences seemed to have sensed what was awaiting them if they went to the movie…because they haven’t!
The film may get to $30+ million over the four day box office weekend…which sounds like a nice walletful of cash, except for this: that opening weekend box office means the film won’t have grossed even a QUARTER of what it cost to make (estimates of 170+ million), never mind the tens of millions in additional marketing expenses as well…Downey is a big box office star, so maybe worldwide box office returns can help offset this $100-million hole they will find themselves in, but that doesn’t happen often – remember when I told you about this film?
“Monster Trucks” was released at the same time three years ago, and the company that made it wrote off $115-million the week it opened!
You can see more about this box office car wreck by clicking here:
Of course, the “Doctor who talks to animals” was a big hit once before!
Eddie Murphy made TWO “Dr. Doolittle” films, so there was no reason to think a new one couldn’t work.
One reason that “Doolittle” fascinates me is that the version in 1967 was actually nominated for Best Picture!
Star Rex Harrison sang his way badly through this one – so how did it get a coveted Best Picture nod?
Well, this book tells that story – looking at the five films nominated foe Best Picture in 1967, “Pictures At A Revolution” – it’s a fascinating book about a monumental time of change in Hollywood – click here to see why:
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Leave a comment with your thoughts on these “Doolittle” reviews!
Categories: Academy Awards, Books / Media, Comedy Movies, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Hollywood, Movies, Obscure Movies, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
I hadn’t seen any promotional materials for the movie, so I was surprised when I heard about it for the first time, learning that it had flopped. I wondered if there was a correlation, or if it was just bad. I don’t think I’ll be watching it anytime soon. Thanks for sharing!
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The reviews were really bad – focusing on the juvenile script lacking any subtly or much humor apparently…sometimes a film just doesn’t work…oh, but tomorrow I am sharing a case where a really bad film is getting a whole new life….look for it!
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One more note: I’m trying to get WordPress to help me figure out why I can’t “like” most of the blogs I follow and a few, like yours, won’t even let me comment! I read your stuff, glad you loved “Lady Bird”, and wanted you to know your posts are terrific!
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I guess this is one of those times one needs to refer back to Winnie the Pooh’s wisdom with “Could be worse. Not sure how, but it could be.” 🙂 Thank you for the warning!
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HA! As one talking animal no doubt said to all of the ones int he film!
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I did enjoy the original, and overlooked the quality of the singing at the time. I loved the book as a child, and never saw the Eddie versions of the story. the trailer looked interesting for this one, but sometimes it just doesn’t translate into a good film.
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I think the reviews have pegged this one correctly: it doesn’t work, the comedy is forced and the CGI-animals look fake….
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I didn’t realise this had such an impressive line-up. Spencer, Malek & Robinson get a big thumbs up, and Downey Jr? I’m biased there because I’m in love with the guy. Must be awful if the cast can’t make it at least half way to watchable. Such a shame this has tanked. Sounds a bit like Cats in the disappointment department. Nice write-up, John!
Caz x
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I think the original Rex Harrison film suited the feel of the books. I didn’t care for the Eddie Murphy remakes, and we definitely didn’t need a fourth try at this film. I am glad it has bombed. Perhaps someone will eventually realise that we just don’t need any more pointless remakes! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Nerts… and the promos looked so good. Thanks for the feedback. Happy weekend.
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Sometimes these films rely so much on special effects that any human side of the story gets lost in the shuffle…and there was apparently an over-reliance on sophomoric humor to try and keep the audience interested…oh well, they can’t all be oscar winners1 Thanks so much for commenting!
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