Doctor Dolittle (1998)
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A surgeon who can talk to animals must decide whether to embrace his unique gift or hide it from a world that might see it as a mental breakdown.
The story
In 1998, John Dolittle is a surgeon in San Francisco who has spent years suppressing his childhood ability to speak with animals. While his family is on vacation, John returns to his practice and encounters a dog he nearly hit with his car. The dog begins speaking to him, leading John to believe he is experiencing a mental breakdown. As he begins secretly helping various animals, including a circus tiger, John must navigate the complexities of his gift while facing pressure from a medical company seeking to buy his practice.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
John Dolittle, a surgeon in San Francisco, has suppressed his childhood ability to talk to animals. While his family is away, he nearly hits a dog named Lucky, who begins speaking to him. Convinced he is losing his mind, John undergoes a CT scan but soon realizes he can actually understand the animals. He begins secretly treating them, including a circus tiger named Jake. However, his wife Lisa and colleague Mark catch him performing CPR on a rat, leading to his commitment to a mental hospital. After a heart-to-heart with his daughter Maya, John realizes he loves her for who she is and decides to embrace his gift. He apologizes to Lucky and sneaks Jake out of the circus to perform life-saving surgery. During the operation, his father Archer reveals to Lisa that John's gift is real. After successfully saving Jake, John declines a buyout offer from a greedy company and becomes both a doctor and a veterinarian, fully embracing his ability to help both humans and animals.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 85
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Betty Thomas
- Writers
- Larry Levin · screenplay; Nat Mauldin · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Eddie Murphy · Dr. John Dolittle; Ossie Davis · Archer Dolittle; Oliver Platt · Dr. Mark Weller; Peter Boyle · Mr. Calloway; Richard Schiff · Dr. Gene Reiss; Kristen Wilson · Lisa Dolittle; Kyla Pratt · Maya Dolittle; Raven-Symoné · Charisse Dolittle
- Genres
- fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- Identity; Family Bonds; Acceptance
- Tone and mood
- Whimsical; Humorous; Sentimental
- Setting
- San Francisco, California in 1998
- Premise and plot tags
- Talking Animals; Medical Drama; Family Comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- series of children's stories by Hugh Lofting
- Franchise connections
- Dr. Dolittle
- Reception
- The film was a box-office success but received mixed reviews from critics, who noted its treacly tone and reliance on scatological gags.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 43% · review count: 53 critics; Metacritic · score: 46 · scale: 100 · review count: 20 critics
- Production trivia
- The film's opening weekend was the best debut for a 20th Century Fox film that week.; It achieved the biggest opening weekend for an Eddie Murphy film at the time.; The soundtrack was certified 2× Multi-Platinum.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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