Dolittle (2020)

The film is an average, passable family entertainment rather than a disaster, though forgettable and unmemorable overall. The critic singles out the shaky effects and lacklustre comedy for complaint amid the convoluted plot and big-name voice cast.

The critic concludes that Dolittle is not a Cats-level disaster but remains too frenetic yet underpowered, with clumsy direction and a lead performance lacking charm or depth. They single out the incidental jokes and Michael Sheen’s sarcastic turn as the few elements that briefly lift the mostly lacklustre kids’ film.

The film is far from a success, with a heavily reworked storyline and countervailing guff undermining even simple tasks. The critic notes children enjoyed some parts like the dragon bagpipe scene but highlights the chaotic production and Welsh accent issues.

The critic describes Dolittle as a jumble of cutesy ideas and strained whimsy in which a large starry cast is wasted. They single out the troubled production’s lack of creative spark and stale attitude.

The critic finds this misfiring adaptation swamped by CGI and crude humour that will not appeal to families alongside their kids. They single out the perplexing choices such as Robert Downey Jr.’s Welsh accent and the plot’s failure to balance palace conspiracies with animal antics.

The critic finds Dolittle flatter and hokier than the hype suggested, with mismatched eye lines on the CGI animals, awkward lip sync and a budget bloated by reshoots. They single out the valiant but flawed effort to inject movie-star charisma into an overstuffed production that ends up the worst screen version of the story.

The film is borderline awful rather than fully offensive, a messy result of reshoots and rewrites with nothing to say despite surface distractions. The critic praises that it is not as bad as expected but complains about the awkward, unwieldy execution and self-regarding delivery.

The film is a wild, incoherent mess without guiding principles or coherence despite a fine concept. It fails to deliver on the expected charm, humor, or emotional resonance of the source material and previous adaptations.

The critic calls it a train wreck and $175 million fiasco that even Robert Downey Jr. cannot salvage, noting the writer-director of Traffic and Syriana was ill-suited to this kids movie about talking animals.

The critic concludes Robert Downey Jr takes on the role with predictably disastrous results in a garbled nothing bereft of warmth and wit. They single out the menagerie of mouthy mammals as wretched beasts that fail to amuse except for one brief duck-voiced bit.

The critic calls the result a staggeringly charmless non-event that falls short on every level. They single out the constant wisecracking from the stellar voice cast as struggling to raise so much as a half-smile.

The critic finds the film terribly off from the first scene, a lavishly misbegotten attempt that fails to make a case for reinterpretation, with an oddly diffident Robert Downey Jr. never energizing the tale.

The critic sees the film as another apology owing to the animal kingdom, with a slapdash approach and laziness typical of most things in it. They single out the finale centred on one grumpy creature’s impacted bowel as the point where all sense vanishes.

The film is hasty, hectic, harried and utterly halfhearted, a cursed endeavor that feels slapdash with negligible character development and unoriginal jokes. It fails to deliver charm or substance despite its big budget and star.

This is a dreary, overextended yawn of a misbegotten adventure that should have been dramatically shortened or ditched. The story of the reclusive doctor and his animal companions drags without sufficient wit or engagement.

This sloppy, predictable and obnoxious period-set overhaul does very little to stoke the imagination and quickly curdles into an awful experience full of crass jokes and misfired attempts at humor. It wastes Downey's magnetism and lacks emotional wallop.

The critic describes the film as anti-cinema whose incompetence boggles the mind, with cluttered and shrill execution that leaves the viewer questioning reality rather than enjoying silly insouciance.

The film is great fun for the family with wonder, adventure, and a message of friendship. It is silly with mild peril but entertaining for younger viewers.

The film is a messy, ill-conceived voyage with tonal whiplash, lazy editing, and poor use of its cast. The potty humor and haphazard construction are highlighted as major flaws.

Downey's first post-MCU outing is a bizarre, mildly amusing kids' movie featuring dragon enemas, talking animals kicking tigers in the nuts, and a mumbled Depp-esque performance that is hard to understand. It is not very good but serves its modest purpose of moderate child amusement better than a serious drama would.

The review calls it largely a miss, blaming the star's performance and off tone, though noting the cute animals may appeal to young kids.

The critic says it's mainly boring rather than truly bad, with a mish-mash of tones, lacklustre performance, and dull treatment of the quirky concept. Complains about the serious approach making it dull, praises the potential for quirkiness that isn't realized.

The critic finds the film a rudderless star vehicle with an affected performance from Downey and inconsistent tone. Michael Sheen's villainous turn is singled out as a welcome diversion.

The critic finds the film a mess with juvenile jokes and irresponsible messaging, not worth watching even for kids. Praises nothing really, complains about the tone, jokes, and lack of charm.

The film is utterly incoherent, a chopped-up mess of fart jokes, burp jokes, and other lowbrow gags that leaves no room for narrative sense or character development. Downey's sleepwalking performance fails to connect, though Michael Sheen as the villain provides the sole standout element tuned to the absurdity.

The film is a near total bust, with Downey Jr.'s performance lacking any charm or appeal as an anchor for the story. The sloppy editing, lack of urgency, and overall absence of fun compound the problems in this Stephen Gaghan-directed misfire.

Downey and director Gaghan have lowered themselves with this bewilderingly bad January misfire, a cheap attempt at a kids' franchise full of hammy anachronistic one-liners and a plot that ends in a fart joke. Kids deserve better than this insulting celebrity-voiced mess.

The critic finds the film charmless with few laughs and no charm, criticizing the CG animals and unfunny dialogue. He singles out the awkward accent and modern sass in a Victorian setting as particularly misguided.