Dr. Dolittle
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: June 26, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
46
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critics
Positive:
4
Mixed:
11
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The New York TimesSuzanne O'Connor
There is the language to consider, but despite the film's slow start, small children should take to the idea of communicating with animals. Read full review
60
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Isn't as sharp or consistent as Murphy's "The Nutty Professor," but it's an amusing, lightweight diversion. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
To his credit, Eddie Murphy knows it well enough to deliver a team-playing performance as the critter-phobic physician who reluctantly becomes the Albert Schweitzer of the animal kingdom. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Small children should be delighted by the menagerie of chatty critters, but their parents may be less than thrilled by what the animals have to say. Read full review
50
VarietyLeonard Klady
Slim on story and rife with scatological jokes, the film may strike a chord with pre-teens but misses for an older crowd despite some nifty effects and broad humor. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleRussell Smith
Given a choice between the puerile but essentially innocent whimsy of Dr. Dolittle and the dimwitted nastiness of, say, "Dirty Work," parents should be grateful for the Eddie Murphys and Jim Carreys of the world for at least providing a kinder, gentler option. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerWalter Addiego
The talented Murphy is appealing here, performing with sincerity and restraint - a wise choice, since his co-stars are a menagerie of wisecracking animals. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
An on-again, arf-again comedy. [26 June 1998, p. 54]
50
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
Dr. Dolittle does do a lot of stuff right. [ 26 June 1998, p. 12 E]
40
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Nat Mauldin and Larry Levin's screenplay, indifferently directed by Betty Thomas, is simply an excuse for tired scatological jokes involving animal characters with the voices of well-known actors. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverPeter Rainer
It's a kiddie comedy that really shouldn't be on the big screen at all; it has all the creative range of an Afterschool Special. Read full review
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