20th Century Fox, Rated PG-13
Directed by Betty Thomas
Written by Nat Mauldin and Larry Levin based on the book by Hugh Lofting

Until a couple of years ago, it looked like there was nowhere for Eddie Murphy's career to go but down. It had been a long time since he had had any successful films, because many audiences disliked the egotistical way he came across, both on film and in real life. Then, Murphy made The Nutty Professor in the summer of '96. This time he played an overweight sad sack of a professor (along with 6 other characters), whom the audience couldn't help but feel sorry for. It was a big hit. Now Murphy follows that up with another remake: this time of the 1967 musical Doctor Dolittle. Of course "doctor" is abbreviated this time, I guess so you can tell the difference between the two films. This time, Murphy plays Dolittle as a devoted family man who just happens to have the gift to hear what animals are saying. He repressed this gift as a child but it's brought back when he hits a dog (voiced by Norm MacDonald). He spends the rest of the movie trying to deal with this gift and prove to people he isn't crazy while trying to decide whether to sell his practice to an H.M.O.
It's admirable the way Murphy is now playing straight man (and quite well) to famous voice actors playing animals. One of the best parts of the movie is trying to figure out which celebrity is voicing which animal. The animals have all the best lines, and MacDonald as the dog is much funnier than Chris Rock as the hamster, who had the most screen time in the trailer. Other voices include Jenna Elfman, Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, and Garry Shandling. Unfortunately, the recognition of the voices can sometimes be more amusing than what's coming out of their mouths. A lot of jokes are thrown against the wall here but, as often happens, not all of them stick. There are some great zingers, however. The movie is aimed more towards children, but there's enough to keep adults interested. The charm of some of the animals really saves the film from being a dud. The computer effects really make the animal's faces extremely expressive, and they are quite impressive. Murphy hasn't quite got the magic he had with The Nutty Professor, much less Beverly Hills Cop, but the movie is still enjoyable enough for a summer matinee. ***