Dr. Dolittle

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Dr. Dolittle

PG-13

Released Jun 26, 1998

1h 25m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

35%

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250,000+ Ratings

After a fender bender, Dr. John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) gets back his childhood ability to converse with animals. But the gift turns out to be a mixed blessing when the good doctor finds himself besieged by boozing monkeys, injured owls and depressed lions who need his special assistance. When Dolittle's strange behavior catches the attention of his wife, Lisa (Kristen Wilson), he winds up in a mental institution. Luckily, he has some animal friends to help him out of his hairy situation.

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Critics Consensus

Doctor Dolittle finds some mirth in the novelty of wisecracking critters, but this family feature's treacly tone is made queasy by a reliance on scatological gags that undercut the intended warmth.

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Leonard Klady

Variety

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.

Mar 26, 2009

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Derek Adams

Time Out

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.

Jan 26, 2006

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Neil Smith

BBC.com

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.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 24, 2001

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a briskly-paced comedy that benefits from its raft of agreeable performances...

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 29, 2024

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Gary Wolcott

Tri-City Herald

This is a slick comedy that would be perfect for the whole family -- except for the ample use of bathroom humor... I will admit, though, that it does help make this remake of Dr. Dolittle a funny movie.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 20, 2023

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Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

The only thing that keeps this even a little bit tolerable is the superlative work by the Henson people.

Rated: 1/5

Jan 17, 2020

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David W

Murphy tries his best with the saccharine sweet and undercooked script but despite some decent special effects this didn't particularly entertain or amuse me. Not a total dud but pretty close. The Rex Harrison original wasn't great but at least it was better than this.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/13/24

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Ed R

I have no words……… ugh.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/12/24

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David K

Чудесный, добрый фильм! Не знаю, почему у него такой низкий рейтинг, но я был очень рад его посмотреть. Спасибо большое Эдди Мёрфи и всем, кто участвовал в создании этой ленты! A wonderful, heartwarming film! I don't know why it has such a low rating, but I was very happy to watch it. Many thanks to Eddie Murphy and everyone involved in making this movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/10/24

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Paco M

I watched this in the cinema when i was 11. After paying 8€ I left 20 mins in. Never got my bucks worth.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/18/24

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南威劉

Though the script was a bit cliche, I love the soundtrack a lot!!! It caught my ear when I watched it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/21/24

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Thinking of Film

Really liked Eddie Murphys dr dolittle films. Fun fun fun. Wish he had done a 3rd 👍

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/20/24

Full Review

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Betty Thomas

Director

Eddie Murphy

Dr. John Dolittle

Ossie Davis

Archer Dolittle

Oliver Platt

Dr. Mark Weller

Peter Boyle

Calloway

Richard Schiff

Dr. Gene Reiss

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Dr. Dolittle: Trailer 1

2:11

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Synopsis

After a fender bender, Dr. John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) gets back his childhood ability to converse with animals. But the gift turns out to be a mixed blessing when the good doctor finds himself besieged by boozing monkeys, injured owls and depressed lions who need his special assistance. When Dolittle's strange behavior catches the attention of his wife, Lisa (Kristen Wilson), he winds up in a mental institution. Luckily, he has some animal friends to help him out of his hairy situation.

Director: Betty Thomas
Producer: John Davis, Joseph Singer, David T. Friendly
Screenwriter: Nat Mauldin, Larry Levin
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 26, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $144.2M
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Surround

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