Film Threat’s “Doctor Dolittle 2” Mini-FAQ.
So, what’s the story in the continuing adventures of Doctor Dolittle? ^ Eddie Murphy returns this time to save a forest from getting plundered by evil-doers played by Kevin Pollack and Jeffrey Jones. If Eddie, er, Doctor Dolittle can get a circus-trained male Pacific Western Bear named Archie (voiced by Steven Zahn) to mate with a wild female Pacific Western Bear (voiced by Lisa Kudrow), then the forest will be saved. Hurray.
Besides the bear, are there other funny animals? ^ Yes. There’s a bunch of beaver Mafioso, a h***y turtle and a crocodile that bites off Steve Irwin’s arm. The best animal is a Latino lizard that thinks it can blend in with the environment, though it never changes from its green skin tone. Yeah, it’s “funny” for a second, but gets old and juvenile real fast.
Is this just an attempt to cash in on the first “Doctor Dolittle?” ^ Oh, no, of course not. This one has an ecological message. Okay, you’re not buying it. Yeah, they just cashing in!
Is there a lot of toilet humor? ^ Yes. Archie the bear has terrible gas and farts a lot. If this offends you, uh, don’t go. Why would you even ask that question? This is an Eddie Murphy movie! Of course there’s toilet humor.
Will anyone other than kids like it? ^ Kids will dig the cute talking animals and a six pack or two to three margaritas is guaranteed to make it tolerable for adults. Check the alcohol content of your beverage of choice
Bottom line: Is Eddie Murphy funny? ^ Well, Murphy is the film’s only saving grace. Murphy is in prime form and funny even without the goofy animals talking. There’s a subplot involving his daughter who is just beginning to date. Dr. Dolittle goes into dad mode and is having trouble with the fact that his little girl may be getting jiggy with a boy. It’s fun to see Murphy unnerved. These scenes are genuinely hilarious and involve no goofy talking animals. And Murphy does his best to make the animal scenes work. Remember, he’s just acting to either nothing or a real animal that can’t talk. So, Murphy gets points for doing a remarkable job here. The script is lackluster and unambitious. Well, lame really. Eddie Murphy is truly the only reason to see “DR2.”
What about that rumored anal sex scene with a goat? Is there really b********y and anal penetration in an Eddie Murphy movie? I can’t believe he would do that! ^ Uh, there is no such scene. I think you are thinking about The Animal with Rob Schneider. That film only contains an “implied” anal sex scene with a goat, so that’s totally acceptable.
Is it worth paying to see in the theater? ^ That is the big question, isn’t it. Well, no. This film will be on video before you finish reading this. (And after it rakes in a ton of dough from those unfortunate souls who never read this FAQ.)
