Murphy's 'Doctor Dolittle' is silly but till enjoyable

JAKARTA (JP): A remake of the 1967 movie starring Rex Harrison, Eddie Murphy takes on the role of the veterinarian who rediscovers his childhood gift of being able to talk to animals.

But whilst the original was a musical, the 1998 version is an all comedic attempt which exploits special effects to get "street-wise" animals to squeak and squawk with character.

Most adults would probably dismiss this movie finding it too childish. But pre-teens offer rave reviews.

"Us" adults know that animals don't talk right? So it would be easier for us to accept something like sci-fi flicks Armageddon or Independence Day.

But talking animals? Not very likely.

That is not to say that this Doctor Dolittle isn't funny, because it does have its moments.

But this is more of a leisurely Sunday afternoon matinee to take the kids, nephews or, if you're lucky, grandchildren to. It's certainly a silly movie, but still surprisingly enjoyable.

A word of warning though for parents, Murphy brings with him his trademark "cheerily vulgar" jokes, which are sprinkled throughout the movie.

The plot begins with the good doctor discovering his talent when he bangs his head and suddenly hears the family dog, Lucky, (voice dubbed with teasing charm by Norm MacDonald) calling him a bonehead.

He had apparently possessed this ability since childhood but was neglected and eventually forget this skill due to the insistence of his father.

Once the word gets around - around the animal kingdom that is, he is soon stampeded by animals looking for a cure for a plethora of ailments - pigeons looking for marital advice, an alcoholic monkey, and a suicidal tiger with a blood clot on his brain.

The trick for the multilingual doctor is to avoid being found out, in order to keep himself out of a padded cell.

Directed by Betty Thomas, the movie cleverly mixes the same kind of formula which made movies such as Babe, Looks Who's Talking and television series Mr. Ed's successful.

However the director was also smart enough to realize that there's only so much one can milk out of such a thin plot and therefore the movie is less than 90 minutes long.

It's really the same old gag: get animals to do and say things one would only expect humans to do.

Seeing a drunk with a bottle of whiskey admitting he's an alcoholic is not a funny sight. But a clown-suited monkey holding a mini bottle of Jack Daniel's confessing, "I'm a social drinker. Very social!" does raise a grin.

Maybe it's the fact that we're really laughing at ourselves which makes this so attractive.

The highlight of the movie must be the animals, who's voice over cameo roles by popular comedians give them distinct personalities.

There's the brilliant Albert Brooks as the voice of the tiger, Garry Shandling the pigeon, John Leguizamo the rat and Phil Proctor as the voice of the monkey.

Hats off also to the special effects people on this one. Gone are the days of the muppets and Francis the talking mule.

The sometimes irreverent remarks are matched with precision to the movements of the animals' mouths, and facial expressions.

This movie might not revive Murphy's sagging career but it should do just enough to keep him in the public eye after several recent duds.

After building up a reputation in television's Saturday Night Live, Murphy catapulted to fame and superstardom in 1984's Beverly Hills Cop and its two sequels.

But in subsequent years most of his work has flopped critically and commercially -- Harlem Nights and Vampire in Brooklyn to name a few.

His one-liners and patented chuckling grin have been used once too often.

It was a remake of Jerry Lewis' The Nutty Professor which in 1996 gave him back his audiences. A light bulb must have come on in somebody's mind "if it worked once, why not try it again". Hence Doctor Dolittle.

The inside word is that the 37-year-old Murphy, born Edward Regan Murphy, is set to work on the fourth installment of Beverly Hills Cop. (mds)