Not even a decent performance from Richard Attenborough can save this disappointing production.
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:18
Fresh:5
Rotten:13
Average Rating:4.2/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 32 mins
Genre: Childrens
Synopsis: A musical about an English doctor who becomes disillusioned with human beings and travels off to commune with the birds and the beasts. After learning 468 animal languages, he sets off to find the... A musical about an English doctor who becomes disillusioned with human beings and travels off to commune with the birds and the beasts. After learning 468 animal languages, he sets off to find the mythical Great Pink Sea Snail. Based on Hugh Lofting's stories from the 20's. Academy Award Nominations: 9, including Best Picture, Best Original Music Score. Academy Awards: Best Special Visual Effects, Best Song ("Talk to the Animals"). [More]
Starring: Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, Peter Bull
Starring: Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, Peter Bull, William Dix, Richard Attenborough
Director: Richard Fleischer
Director: Richard Fleischer
Producer: Arthur P. Jacobs
Reviews for Doctor Dolittle
Doctor Dolittle might be a little woolly at times but it's impossible not to be impressed by Rex Harrison and his marvellous menagerie.
[It] almost bankrupted the studio when audiences stayed away in droves. In retrospect, it's not hard to see why.
One of the worst films to be ever nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and one of the weakest Hollywood musicals of the 1960s.
Leslie Bricusse's adaptation retains the delightful aspects while taking considerable liberty with the plot. His music and lyrics, while containing no smash hits, are admirably suited to the scenario.
It's so clumsy and pounding that taking a child to it might be grounds for a visit from family services.
The music is not exceptional, the rendering of the songs lacks variety, and the pace, under Richard Fleischer's direction, is slow and without surprise. Indeed, toward the end it is perfunctory. Things happen mechanically.
The lush sets and presentation are a big disconnect with the silly story, but that ultimately turns out to be part of the joy of the movie.
Unfortunately -- even as escapist fare -- it's a failure due to its lifeless, meandering plot, and characters.
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