- Iron Man star is joined by Selena Gomez, Tom Holland and Ralph Fiennes, but the celebrity voice cast fails to lift this film
- With no discernible plot and the worst attempt at an accent since Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins, even the kids will be bored
1/5 stars
What on earth was Robert Downey Jnr thinking? After rehabilitating himself as Tony Stark/Iron Man and becoming the epitome of cool for many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he steps out of character to appear in this mushy disaster of a children's movie that might even bore kids as much as adults.
Rambling along with no discernible plot and a surfeit of lamentably infantile humour, the climax of the jumbled up mess features Downey removing a set of bagpipes from the rear end of a dragon " a scatologically inclined scene which says all there is to say about this movie.
Dolittle is nominally based on Hugh Lofting's book The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. But the story, or what there is of it, has little to do with any of Lofting's books other than the general premise of animal linguistics.
That's odd, considering there is a wealth of material to draw on " Lofting wrote 15 books between 1920 and 1952, and each one is jam-packed with adventures. Instead, co-writer Stephen Gaghan, who also directed, just creates his own god-awful mess.
Set in Britain during Victorian times, this sorry tale begins with Doctor John Dolittle (Downey) having cut himself off from human companionship after the death of his wife. He finds comfort in a menagerie of animals with whom, inexplicably, he is able to converse.
When Queen Victoria falls desperately ill, however, Dolittle is tasked with finding the cure for her malady. With his animal friends and a young apprentice in tow, Dolittle sets off on a voyage.
The seaworthy parts draw on Pirates of the Caribbean, and perhaps the idea of being Captain Jack Sparrow is what drew Downey to it in the first place. But he's no Johnny Depp and he's even less of a Keith Richards.
What's more, Downey's attempt at a Welsh accent is appalling, and is probably the worst attempt at an accent since Dick Van Dyke tried to impersonate a cockney in Mary Poppins.
The rest of the distinguished voice cast " which includes Ralph Fiennes as a villainous tiger, Tom Holland as a dog, Emma Thompson as a macaw, Octavia Spencer as a duck, and Selena Gomez as a giraffe " do what's required, which isn't much more than delivering flatulent humour.
Other movie versions of Doctor Dolittle have fared better, especially the 1967 musical starring Rex Harrison, which featured bizarre but enduring songs like Talk to the Animals.
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