Dolittle has no bark or bite, despite Robert Downey Jr & a menagerie of big voices
IN his first screen role after retiring from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Downey Jr takes on the classic children’s literature character. But despite a menagerie of big voices to keep him company, Dolittle has no bark or bite.
We meet the titular hero living the life of a hermit on his estate with his animals years after his wife Lily dies on an expedition.
Soon enough, two children seek him out: a young boy called Tommy (Harry Collett) who wants to become the vet’s apprentice and a young lady-in-waiting called Rose (Carmel Laniado) who is sent from the palace of Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) after the monarch falls deathly ill.
It is up to Dolittle, Tommy and a squad of animals to find a cure to save the queen, while thwarting attempts to stop them by rival Dr Blair Müdfly (Michael Sheen). The film takes a clever approach with Downey imitating animal noises before letting the star-studded voice cast (Emma Thompson and Tom Holland among them) shine.
However, his accent – Welsh, apparently – is all over the place and distracts unnecessarily from the mediocre story. Downey swung big with his first post-Marvel project but just because you CAN reboot a franchise doesn’t mean you should. This woeful Dolittle is a prime example.