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Dr. Dolittle is a 1998 American fantasy comedy film directed by Betty Thomas, written by Larry Levin and Nat Mauldin, and starring Eddie Murphy in the titular role. The film was inspired by the series of children's stories of the same name by Hugh Lofting, but used no material from any of the novels; the main connection is the name and a doctor who can speak to animals, although the pushmi-pullyu, a much-loved feature of the books, notably makes a very brief appearance in a couple of scenes.
| Dr. Dolittle | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Betty Thomas |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Richard Gibbs |
| Cinematography | Russell Boyd |
| Edited by | Peter Teschner |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70.5 million |
| Box office | $294.4 million |
The first novel had originally been filmed in 1967 as a musical under the same title, a closer (albeit still very loose) adaptation of 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 remake was rated PG-13 by the MPAA, it was marketed as a family film.
The 1998 film was a box office success, despite mixed reviews from critics. The film's success generated four sequels; Dr. Dolittle 2, Dr. Dolittle 3, Tail to the Chief, and Million Dollar Mutts, the latter three being direct-to-video.
Screenplay
As a boy, John Dolittle displays an ability to talk to and understand animals, starting with his pet dog. His behavior disturbs his father Archer, who hires a local minister to perform an exorcism on his son, but after John's dog attacks him, Archer sends her to the pound. John eventually forgets he can talk to animals.
As an adult, John is a doctor and surgeon living in San Francisco. He is happily married to his wife Lisa, and has two daughters, typical teenager Charisse, and nerdy Maya, who has a pet guinea pig named Rodney, and what she thinks is a swan egg, which she hopes will bond with her upon hatching. A large medical company owned by Mr. Calloway seeks to buy John's practice, a deal which his colleagues Mark Weller and Gene Reiss are enthusiastic about.
John's family goes on vacation, but he must return to work to see a patient, and then pick up Rodney. He nearly hits a dog, which gets up and angrily shouts at him in English. The next day, Rodney starts talking to John, who has no memory of his gift, and thinks he is having a mental breakdown. John has a CT scan after animals start asking for favors when he helps a wounded owl, and he then unwittingly adopts the dog he ran over, eventually naming him Lucky. John starts secretly helping various animals, including a suicidal circus tiger named Jake, who feels great cerebral pain. Through all this, John begins learning to re-appreciate his gift, at one point confiding to Lucky that he has never felt excited about his work in years. However, Lisa and Mark catch him performing CPR on a rat, and have him institutionalized.
Believing his gift is a hindrance, John rejects all abnormality in his life and returns to work, but in doing so, ostracizes Maya as well, who comes to believe he doesn’t like her. Maya admits to Archer that she liked the idea of her father talking to animals. John eavesdrops on the conversation and has a change of heart. John admits to Maya that he does like her for who she is, and encourages her to continue being what she wants to be. John then apologizes to Lucky, and together, they steal Jake from the circus to perform surgery on him. Mark and Gene catch John, but Gene tires of the former’s opportunistic attitude and helps John. When Jake is exposed to the party for the buyout, John calmly goes on with the operation. Archer reveals to Lisa that John's gift is real, encouraging her to venture into the operating theatre and keep Jake calm whilst her husband and Gene remove the cause of Jake’s pain, saving Jake's life.
Calloway is impressed with John's talent, but he declines the deal. John becomes both a doctor and a veterinarian, embracing his ability to talk to animals. In the film's final scenes, Maya's egg hatches, but is revealed to be a baby alligator, and John and Lucky are shown walking to the circus and talking with each other.
- Eddie Murphy as Dr. John Dolittle
- Raymond Matthew Mason as 3-year-old John
- Dari Gerard Smith as 5-year-old John
- Ossie Davis as Grandpa Archer Dolittle
- Oliver Platt as Dr. Mark Weller
- Peter Boyle as Mr. Calloway
- Kristen Wilson as Lisa Dolittle
- Kyla Pratt as Maya Dolittle
- Raven-Symoné as Charisse Dolittle
- Jeffrey Tambor as Dr. Fish
- Richard Schiff as Dr. Gene "Geno" Reiss
- Paul Giamatti (uncredited) as Blaine Hammersmith
- Pruitt Taylor Vince (uncredited) as Patient at Hammersmith
Voice cast
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Puppetters
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| Dr. Dolittle | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by Various artists | ||||
| Released | June 16, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997–98 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, R&B | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, The Legendary Traxster, Various | |||
| Dr. Dolittle soundtracks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dr. Dolittle | ||||
The soundtrack was released on June 16, 1998 through Atlantic Records and consisted of a blend of hip hop and contemporary R&B. The soundtrack was a huge success, peaking at 4 on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum on October 20, 1998. Allmusic rated the soundtrack four stars out of five.
The soundtrack's lone charting single, "Are You That Somebody?" by Aaliyah, also found success, making it to 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards.
Box office
On its opening weekend, Dr. Dolittle earned $29,014,324 across 2,777 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box office, the best debut for a Fox film that week. By the end of its run, the film had grossed $144,156,605 in the United States and $150,300,000 internationally, totaling $294,456,605 worldwide.
Critical response
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The film received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 44% score based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. Metacritic reports a 46 out of 100 rating based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
A video game based on the film was released in Europe for the PlayStation 2 on November 29, 2006.
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