Dr. Dolittle, starring Eddie Murphy 2 1/2 stars out of 4
You can't help but laugh during Dr. Dolittle.
And the funny thing is, it has nothing to do with Eddie Murphy.
The laughs are generated by the lines coming from the mouths of the various animals who turn Dr. Dolittle's life into a zoo.
It's shows how the funny have fallen when a guinea pig, tiger, dog and a couple of pigeons can upstage Eddie Murphy.
Not that Murphy isn't funny, but he basically is playing straight man to a menagerie. Most of the laughs he inspires are not from his lines, but from reacting to the lines and situations created by others.
It's just a little sad to see Murphy, who brought such savvy, sass, attitude and a hint of the rebel, to such movies as 48 HRS, Trading Places and the first Beverly Hills Cop, being in a position in which he has to be second banana.
Despite these underpinnings, Dr. Dolittle is a most enjoyable romp, one that the kids will enjoy.
Basically an updating of the clunky old Rex Harrison late '60s musical of the same title, this Dr. Dolittle is set in contemporary San Francisco. Whereas Harrison's Dr. D talked to the animals by learning their language, Murphy's doc just hears them talking to him in English.
It seems he was born with this ability. But, as a child, his father, fearing his son would be ostracized for his gift, had young John Dolittle "exorcised." The trauma led the boy to block out his unique talent.
Only as an adult, after a bump on the head from a car accident in which he swerved his vehicle to miss a dog, does the power return.
Of course, Dolittle thinks he's going crazy. But eventually he learns to accept his role as friend and doctor to the animals and everything works out all right in the end.
The script by Nat Mauldin and Larry Levin is a bit weak, improbable and filled with plot holes. Yet, they are benignly overlooked because of the animal antics.
They also rely on an overabundance of animal scatalogical humor.
And it is the vocal talents of these unseen stars that carry Dr. Dolittle.
The juiciest lines go to Norm MacDonald as Lucky, the stray dog adopted by Dolittle, and Chris Rock as Rodney, the pet of Dolittle's daugther, Maya.
Albert Brooks brings a touch of melancholy to the part of an ill tiger, while Garry Shandling is in fine form as a neurotic pigeon. He is complemented by Julie Kavner as his female partner.
Other contributors include the annoyingly funny Gilbert Gottfried as a compulsive dog who only likes to play fetch, and Reni Santoni and John Leguizamo as a couple of wise-cracking rats.
This Dr. Dolittle, directed by Betty Thomas (who also directed The Brady Bunch Movie), is a straight comedy.
It's filled with laughs and it's entertaining.
But, one sad aspect sticks in your subconscious. They could have made this movie without Eddie Murphy. Basically, any other comic actor - Steve Martin, for example, could have played the doctor.
Is this a portend on path of Murphy's career - remaking and updating old movies? First, The Nutty Professor, now Dr. Dolittle. What next, Gilligan's Island.
Murphy is a charismatic performer on screen. We can only hope that these successful outings are the impetus to get him back into the style of comedy he knows and does best.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. You can e-mail him at bloom@journal-courier.com.
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