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Doctor Dolittle

  • 19981998
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
97K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Norm MacDonald, and Reni Santoni in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
Home Video Trailer from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Play trailer0:29
1 Video
30 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Family
  • Fantasy

A doctor discovers that he can communicate with animals.A doctor discovers that he can communicate with animals.A doctor discovers that he can communicate with animals.

IMDb RATING
5.4/10
97K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Betty Thomas
  • Writers
    • Hugh Lofting(stories Dr. Dolittle)
    • Nat Mauldin(screenplay)
    • Larry Levin(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Eddie Murphy
    • Peter Boyle
    • Ossie Davis
Top credits
  • Director
    • Betty Thomas
  • Writers
    • Hugh Lofting(stories Dr. Dolittle)
    • Nat Mauldin(screenplay)
    • Larry Levin(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Eddie Murphy
    • Peter Boyle
    • Ossie Davis
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 118User reviews
    • 76Critic reviews
    • 46Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos1

    Dr. Dolittle
    Trailer 0:29
    Dr. Dolittle

    Photos30

    Eddie Murphy and Phyllis Katz in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    John Leguizamo, Eddie Murphy, and Reni Santoni in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Eddie Murphy and Albert Brooks in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Eddie Murphy and Phil Proctor in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Eddie Murphy in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Rex Harrison in Doctor Dolittle (1967)
    Betty Thomas in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Eddie Murphy, Ossie Davis, and Betty Thomas in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Norm MacDonald, and Phil Proctor in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Eddie Murphy in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
    Eddie Murphy, Jeffrey Tambor, and Norm MacDonald in Doctor Dolittle (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Eddie Murphy
    Eddie Murphy
    • Dr. John Dolittleas Dr. John Dolittle
    Peter Boyle
    Peter Boyle
    • Callowayas Calloway
    Ossie Davis
    Ossie Davis
    • Archer Dolittleas Archer Dolittle
    Oliver Platt
    Oliver Platt
    • Dr. Mark Welleras Dr. Mark Weller
    Richard Schiff
    Richard Schiff
    • Dr. Gene 'Geno' Reissas Dr. Gene 'Geno' Reiss
    Kristen Wilson
    Kristen Wilson
    • Lisa Dolittleas Lisa Dolittle
    Jeffrey Tambor
    Jeffrey Tambor
    • Dr. Fishas Dr. Fish
    Kyla Pratt
    Kyla Pratt
    • Maya Dolittleas Maya Dolittle
    Raven-Symoné
    Raven-Symoné
    • Charisse Dolittleas Charisse Dolittle
    Steven Gilborn
    Steven Gilborn
    • Dr. Sam Litvackas Dr. Sam Litvack
    Erik Dellums
    Erik Dellums
    • Jeremyas Jeremy
    • (as Erik Todd Dellums)
    June Christopher
    June Christopher
    • Dianeas Diane
    Cherie Franklin
    • Mrs. Parkusas Mrs. Parkus
    Mark Adair-Rios
    Mark Adair-Rios
    • Internas Intern
    Don Calfa
    Don Calfa
    • Patient at Hammersmithas Patient at Hammersmith
    Arnold F. Turner
    Arnold F. Turner
    • Animal Control Officeras Animal Control Officer
    Kay Yamamoto
    • Receptionistas Receptionist
    Kellye Nakahara
    Kellye Nakahara
    • Beagle Womanas Beagle Woman
    • (as Kellye Nakahara-Wallett)
    • Director
      • Betty Thomas
    • Writers
      • Hugh Lofting(stories Dr. Dolittle)
      • Nat Mauldin(screenplay)
      • Larry Levin(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Dr. John Dolittle has the world in his hands: A beautiful wife at his side, two adorable daughters and a career that could not go better. One night, he nearly runs over a dog with his car. The dog yells "bonehead" and disappears. From then on, his childhood ability is back: To communicate with animals. Unfortunately, the word of Dolittle's ability is spreading quickly. Soon, many animals from rat to horse flock to his place to get medical advice. But his colleagues suspect he's going mad, and as the clinic Dolittle used to work for is about to being taken over for a huge amount of money, many decisions have to be made. Believe him? Put him into a mental institution? Sell the clinic? But also his family is close to breaking apart. Until a circus tiger falls seriously ill. —Julian Reischl <julianreischl@mac.com>
    • veterinarian
    • remake
    • san francisco california
    • based on novel
    • f rated
    • 43 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • He doesn't just talk to the animals!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Family
      • Fantasy
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for crude humor and language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Eddie Murphy is terrified of live animals, and insisted that as many as possible be superimposed digitally in scenes. When he couldn't avoid acting in the same room as an animal, the shots frequently ended with Murphy screaming.
    • Goofs
      Adult tigers weigh around 600lbs. However, John's SUV doesn't squat an inch or bounce when the tiger enters and exits it on the way to the surgery.
    • Quotes

      Rodney: [on telephone] Hey, honey, feeling better?

      Dr. John Dolittle: Who's this?

      Rodney: I'll give you a hint: I'm cute, I'm furry, and I make five hundred babies a year!

      Dr. John Dolittle: Rodney. Get back in your cage.

      Rodney: What's up with that trap behind the fridge? You trying to kill me?

      Dr. John Dolittle: Never mind that. Get your little furry ass back in your cage. Now. I don't want your droppings on... Bye-bye.

      [to security guard]

      Dr. John Dolittle: My son Rodney. Little hairy boy, sleeps in the cage. I have to keep him in the cage because he has hygiene problems.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The X-Files: Fight the Future/The Land Girls/Mulan/Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's/Beyond Silence (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Push 'em Up
      Written by E. Grier, D. Veal, W. Borders, A. Borders, and A. Davis

      Performed by Eddie Kane & DeVille featuring D.J. Toomp

      Courtesy of Tony Mercedes Records

    User reviews118

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    To his credit Murphy let's the animals have their say while he plays straight man to their lines
    `Doctor Dolittle'. ***. (1998, USA, PG-13, 85 min. Directed by Betty Thomas with Edie Murphy, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt, Richard Schiff, Kristen Wilson, Kyla Pratt). John Dolittle (Murphy) can talk to the animals and they can talk to him. At least he/they could when he was a kid. His dad thought he was nuts and though the use of an exorcist and some stern fatherly persuasion John looses or suppresses his talent/curse. When we next see John, he is Dr. Dolittle, M.D, happily married, father of two girls. He's a respected partner in a very successful medical practice and is about to become very rich. He and his partners are about to sell to an HMO. Everything seems to be going great until Dr. Dolittle almost gets into a car accident with a dog. A bump on his head brings back the voices. Is he going nuts, are life's stresses too much, or does Dr. John just need to find his inner child?

    The rest is a rather silly man-gets-in-touch-with-soul type movie, except for the animals. They have all the good lines. There's the lascivious German shepherd that can't control himself even when he's pleading his reformation on the way to being clipped. The pigeon couple; she's a nag, he's a wimp. There are the quarreling rats, the neurotic terrier, the tiger, and of course Lucky, the dog Dr. Dolittle hit in the car accident. To his credit Murphy let's the animals have their say while he plays straight man to their lines. One other thing about Murphy's acting; Dr. Dolittle is not the least bit comfortable around animals. When Dr. Dolittle has to catch daughter Maya's (Pratt) guinea pig, he holds it in a folded pillow so he doesn't have to touch it. (Having similar feelings about pets, I was amused by Dr. Dolittle's behavior around animals.) What's funny about this is, apparently Murphy wasn't acting. But this all added up to a fun movie. I recommend it.
    helpful•10
    1
    • minnow-6
    • Aug 3, 2000

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 26, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dr. Dolittle
    • Filming locations
      • Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Davis Entertainment
      • Joseph M. Singer Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $71,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $144,156,605
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $29,014,324
      • Jun 28, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $294,456,605
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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