Dr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) has the gift to understand animals, which helps him treat them properly. Under the protection of the Queen Victoria of England (Jessie Buckley), he has been given a sanctuary where he can live in peace and take care of all the animals that seek his help. His life is like that of a fairy tale, until his wife Lily (Kasia Smutniak) leaves to discover the Eden tree and dies during her mission on the open sea. Heartbroken, Dolittle closes his doors and hides from the outside world, only with his dearest animal friends who keep him company.
Years go by, when a boy, Tommy Stubbins (Harry Collett), is out with his uncle to hunt ducks. He comes from a family of hunters, but he is not interested in becoming one of them. When he shoots a squirrel by accident, he is guided by Dolittle’s parrot Poly to his house who saves the little guy.
On the same day, Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado) is sent to Dolittle with the message that the Queen is very ill and the only one who can save her is him. It takes some convincing from his animal friends to make Dolittle leave his house, which then ends not only in a mission to save the Queen, but turns out to be a walk down the past that he has tried to overcome.
There has been different versions of the doctor who can talk to animals and the 2020 version starring Robert Downey Jr. in the main role will definitely not disappoint you and bring you joy, laughs, and heartbreaking scenes. What makes this movie special for me is that it does not sugarcoat anything. Life is hard and people need to cope, but at the same time, find themselves, keep going, and never lose hope.
Here you have a grieving widower and a boy who does not want to do what he has been told to do for a living, combined with animals which have their own problems as well—some bigger some smaller. The gorilla Chee-Chee is anxious all the time, the ice bear Yoshi is constantly cold and hates it, the goose Dab-Dab has a wooden leg, and the dog Jip needs glasses, to name a few.
In the end, they all build a community of outsiders with different problems who accept and help each other out the best way they can. And that is what life is all about, right? To find your people, to feel accepted, embrace your baggage, and learn to use it.
Speaking of, you have this great cast who has led their voices to Dolittle’s dear companions. Polly the parrot (Emma Thompson), Chee-Chee the gorilla (Rami Malek), Yoshi the ice bear (John Cena), Plimpton the ostrich (Kumail Nanjiani), Dab-Dab the goose (Octavia Spencer), Jip the dog (Tom Holland), Kevin the squirrel (Craig Robinson), Barry the tiger (Ralph Fiennes), Betsy the giraffe (Selena Gomez), Tutu the fox (Marion Cotillard), James the Dragonfly (Jason Mantzoukas), and Dragon (Franes de la Tour).
While everyone has a burden to bear, the parrot Polly seems to be a fairy godmother to them all. She guides and tries to speak sense into Dolittle and he only listens to her advice. She is there for each member of this unusual family and is also the one who encourages Stubbins to join their adventure.
During their journey to find the journal, in which the way to the Eden tree is written down, the team is followed by Dr. Blair Müdfly (Michael Sheen), a former colleague of Dolittle’s who seeks to be better than he, on behalf of Lord Thomas Badgley (Jim Broadbent) who wants to cover up that he has poisoned the Queen.
As they arrived at the pirate island, Dolittle is captured by King Rassouli, who turns out to be his ex-father-in-law (Antonio Banderas). Well, knowing that both actors are not that far apart when it come to their age, it was quite funny to see them interact on screen and imagine their relationship, which of course was never on good terms.
As punishment, he locks Dolittle into a cage with one of his cats, the tiger Barry, who still seeks his mother’s love and approval. Dolittle escapes, almost. Rassouli, who holds dear to his daughter’s journal, allows Dolittle to continue his journey to fulfil Lily’s goal to find the Eden tree and save the Queen.
I will not tell you what happens at the end as this must stay a surprise. I will only tell you that I had a great time during the movie and laughed so much that my stomach hurt, especially, Dolittle’s unexpected last patient of the movie made me burst out in laughter and tears.
It is a beautiful story of growing up, finding your purpose in life, and learning that you are never alone. There is hope and there are people who will accept you the way you are. You just have to keep your eyes open.
