"DR. DOLITTLE 3"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Kyla Pratt a MAYA DOLITTLE Kristen Wilson as LISA DOLITTLE Walker Howard as BO John Amos as JUD Ryan McDonell as SKIP Chenier Hundal as CHIP Luciana Carro as BROOKLYN WEBSTER Rated PG Studio: 20th Century Fox Directed by: Rich Thorne Back to DVD Review Home |  |
You really can’t compare “Dr. Dolittle 3” to the previous two “Dr. Dolittle” movies. Come to think of it, you can’t even compare the first two movies to the old films with classic films with Rex Harrison or the original books for that matter.
The absence of Eddie Murphy and the fact that it is a straight-to-DVD release should indicate that “Dr. Dolittle 3” is a different movie entirely. So, instead of looking at it like it were a major theatrical release, I looked at it like it was a television movie you might catch on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. In that respect, it wasn’t half bad.
This film doesn’t completely stray from its predecessors. It still follows the family of Dolittles as they’re getting ready to send their brainy daughter Maya (Kyla Pratt) to college. However, instead of being the dorky brainiac from the previous pictures, Maya has blossomed into a pretty young woman. Instead of spending her time making friends with the animals, she’s trying to live a normal life and struggle with issues of popularity, cliques and boys.
After getting into trouble, which she blames on a wayward monkey, Maya’s mother sends her off to a dude ranch for the summer. While there, she has a chance to start anew with no one knowing she can talk to animals. However, she still has to face a catty girl vying for the attention of the good looking ranch hand, as well as worrying that her secret will be revealed to the animals on the farm.
As the summer winds to an end, it looks like the ranch will be sold. The only way to keep the ranch is for the kids to band together and win an amateur rodeo. It seems hopeless, except for the fact that Maya is their secret weapon. (I know we’ve seen this plot many times before, but what do you expect for a mid-list family film?)
Yes, this film is a step down from the first two, but it still has heart and has a lot to say. Kyla Pratt does a fine job taking a leading role and carrying the film. The cast of kids at the ranch do well in their roles (although there’s a bit too many fat kid jokes for my tastes). In fact, Maya’s nemesis, played by Luciana Carro, is quite fetching herself.
The film is predictable and overly sweet, but that’s to be expected for this type of movie. The most offensive thing you’ll see here is a little bit of fart humor, and it’s decent enough for parents to watch with their kids.
The DVD comes with an audio commentary by director Rich Thorne and Kyla Pratt, which is better than most commentaries done by an actor. There’s also a featurette about Pratt called “Growing Up Dolittle,” which chronicles the young actress’s career through the Dr. Dolittle movies. Finally, the DVD also contains a short making-of featurette as well as several television spots.
Some may bemoan the loss of Eddie Murphy, whose character literally phones in his lines and is never actually heard – as well as that of Raven as Maya’s older sister (although I’ll eternally rejoice her departure from any film). However, it’s better that they are completely gone, allowing this movie to fit more comfortably in it’s direct-to-video role.
Specifications: Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. Fullscreen (1.33:1) and widescreen (1.78:1) available. French and Spanish language tracks. French and Spanish subtitles. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
