Dr. Dolittle 2 Review

Dr. Dolittle is back, and this time he's busier than ever; yakking it up with species and sub-species of the furry 4-legged and non-legged types. If you saw the first part of this sequel and found yourself gurgling with mirth, then this flick might not interest you too much - you would have to have digressed a bit and turned 12 overnight to find yourself in the same state of mind.

Eddie Murphy is Dr. Dolittle, who, with a house full of obnoxious talking pets like Lucky-the-dog and Pepito-the-chameleon (who incidentally can't change colors), has his hands full dealing with a rather verbose animal kingdom. His busy schedule puts a strain on his relationship with his family, and soon they hurl out into the mountains to a much-deserved family vacation.

This is where the good doctor finds himself face to face with a bunch of beavers; possums and raccoons straight out of Sicily, creatures that can make the Corleone family look like chicken feed. He is soon drawn into a struggle to protect these guys from a lumber company going all lunatic on them and destroying their natural habitat. The animals have to have their homes, and they bet their bottom dollar on Dr. Dolittle.

He soon begins his homework on that Herculean task. Enter circus bear par compare - Archie (voice of Steve Zahn) - who can not only ride bicycles but can also rustle up a rendition of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". The plan is to get Archie to mate with Ava (voice of Lisa Kudrow) - the last of this endangered species. Ava, though, has plans of her own. She's interested in an alpha male and not some showbiz loony bear that wants to be "bigger than Pooh". And the rest of the film deals with how Archie finally learns to walk the walk and talk the talk that will earn him Ava and save the lumber company from destroying the forest.

Well, will you watch and like the flick? Depends. If you gush at every stray puppy that patters down across the road, then this one is right up your alley. It's got its moments, but moments you'd have liked to see when you were still under the influence of your parents' "the birds and the bees" talk. Mostly peppered with humor concerning body parts and other anatomical functions, it might be a bit too much for the film to ask for your laughs, but don't be too surprised if the kids are still rolling in the aisles.

Dr. Dolittle does have some great computer generated effects that make the whole animal talking thing look cool, but the bummer is that you've already seen the funniest parts on TV during the rushes. But apart from that, there isn't anything really evil about this movie.

If you ask me, the flick is bound to go down well with almost everybody (well, unless you have a problem). And there's no better way to kill a few hours than watching animals spout attitude that you wished you'd never have to deal with.