Dr Dolittle 2 (2001)

1.5 out of 4

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, Raven-Symone, Kyla Pratt, Lil' Zane, Kevin Pollak, Jeffrey Jones, Steve Zahn (voice), Lisa Kudrow (voice), Norm MacDonald (voice)

Director: Steve Carr

Time: 82 mins

It's a pity Eddie Murphy has fallen into a bit of a live-action bad patch since the mid-80s, straight after he hit box office gold with the triptych of 48 Hours, Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop. Though some of his recent films still make money (eg. the two Nutty Professors), his own form has been somewhat erratic. He has been excellent in his voicing for animated features (Mulan and Shrek), and individually brilliant in films like Bowfinger and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, but occasional lesser fare like Life (1999) and Holy Man (1998) means he is not the same draw as he was almost twenty years ago.

All of which brings us to Dr Dolittle 2. This is the sequel to the remake of a 1967 film musical (with Rex Harrison in the title role) that Murphy starred in three years ago. While the remake wasn't an earth-shattering piece of work, it was generally good-natured and pleasant, not to mention fun in hearing several relatively famous people voicing the animals. It also brought in a lot of money, which seems to be sole reason this sequel exists in the first place. The film is mostly dreary, uninspired, and unfunny, and even lacks the grand list of star voices that made watching the first one at least interesting. The only reason I did not give a 1 (out of 4) rating is that it is still generally good-natured, though so many of the attempted jokes border on the scatological divide one wonders how it is aimed at a family audience.

Following on directly from the first film, Dr John Dolittle (Murphy) is now well-known for his ability to talk to animals. A plea from a Godfather-like beaver takes Dolittle and family, including wife Lisa (Kristen Wilson) and daughters Charisse (Raven-Symone) and Maya (Kyla Pratt), to the woods, trying to prevent the destruction of a forest by greedy Joseph Potter (Jeffrey Jones) and his lawyer Jack Riley (Kevin Pollak). In order to do this, Dolittle has to help a circus performing bear named Archie (Steve Zahn) find love with the lone survivor of their species, a female named Ava (Lisa Kudrow). The problem is that Archie is a show animal, not one that's fit to survive in the wild. Further complicatons for Dolittle come in the form of rebellious daughter Charisse, who is hiding a secret while discovering first love with local pizza boy Eric (Lil' Zane), and the evil machinations of Potter and Riley.

Most sequels recycle the original's storylines, but Dr Dolittle 2's plot is so lackadaisical it doesn't really even matter. The filmmakers probably hoped that the relative novelty of seeing animals speak would bring in the kids (and their families) again. Some of the jokes in the original worked, but most in the sequel fall flat or try too hard. Even the toilet humour seems tired and lacking. For such a short film (at just over eighty minutes), there is a definite shortage of laughs. There is one plot point, that of friction between Dolittle and wife Lisa, that I'm not sure is even resolved, let alone satisfactorily. Lisa resents her husband spending so much time with the animals, yet strides into court to battle for them? Sure, the friction may only have been minor or non-existent, but why make a big fuss of it in the first place?

Eddie's role in the first film was one of his most serene. There was none of the motormouthed delivery he is renowned for from films such as the Beverly Hills Cop series. Indeed, it seemed like he wanted to project a more lovable image of himself as his career progressed. Here, in the sequel, he's a bit more animated than the original suggested, but he still seems content to take a back seat to the animals. Talking of animals, the list of voices is disappointing compared to the first film, with only Norm MacDonald (returning as the Dolittles' pet pooch Lucky) and Lisa Kudrow, plus someone sounding like Arnold Schwarzenegger, being the only really recognisable actors supplying their vocal talents. In contrast, the original had notables such as Chris Rock, Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Jenna Elfman and Gilbert Gottfried, to name a few. Of the remaining human cast, it's nice to see Jeffrey Jones (excellent in both Amadeus and Ferris Bueller's Day Off) again, though it would be good to see him as a good guy for a change.

In the end, Dr Dolittle 2 is just an exercise in raking more money from summer holiday crowds. One could have hoped for something that tried to emulate the original's success, at least in plot or personality, but this sequel doesn't even try. It's as if the promise of Eddie Murphy and talking animals is enough, but Dr Dolittle 2 is just a poor, poor excuse for a film, let alone a sequel. Skip it and watch something else.

(c) Joe Wong (23 June 2001)