Doctor Dolittle, based on stories by Hugh Lofting

Doctor Dolittle, based on stories by Hugh Lofting

You might say that the idea behind this farfetched comedy is preposterous and unworthy and then consult the metascore and some critical notes on this film and conclude that you are better off missing it.

And you would be right.

Yet, the whole concept is not as absurd as it looks, if we consider that so many people have to interact with animals on a regular basis and, although it would never be in the manner of Doctor Dolittle, some decoding of pet language is essential in everyday life.

Furthermore, understanding the “language of animals”, playing Dolittle, ca prevent so much damage that is done on a permanent basis, by placing pets, wild creatures in situations where there is no more signal to send, but all they have left is bite, scratch, attack or hit.

Take this example from a comedy show – that this cinephile has seen recently- Hilarious, by and with the now ostracized funny comedian Louis CK that describes an incident, which took place in Italy, where he was vacationing with his two daughters.

One night-or was it at dawn? - He saw a large number of ponies and one lonely donkey, walking near the house where they stayed, somewhere in the Italian countryside, where apparently they still have wild ponies.

Excited by the rare occasion, the comedian went to take his elder daughter- with his outré humor he says something like f*** the other one, she is too small; this experience would be wasted on her.

One of the wild animals was sending obvious signals, “Talking” to the forty-one year old adult, but this failed Doctor Doolittle would not listen, allowed his daughter to get near the nervous unpredictable animal and therefore she was…bitten.

Hence, the point that a motion picture might do something to educate people and teach them some of the basics of animal language and with that saves lives and or serious accidents.

Take the case of those who insist that they are afraid of dogs- many of whom the under signed has met, while in the property of five borzois, multiple puppies and one afghan hound- and who react in the most irresponsible way when approaching a canine- and evidently other creatures.

First of all, so many humans keep staring at animals that they fear and thus make a terrible mistake, for that dog, wild boar or other would become very interested, annoyed and eventually feel threatened by this constant stare- cats for instance do not like this and prefer that one blinks when coming close to them.

Second, these men and women that have a fear of dogs – it mostly concerns them- start shifting, moving around, while holding the same fixed look in their direction and that is an action that is sure to make the animals very nervous, agitated so much that if these individuals tried, they could not get better opposite results to what they are trying to do.

Therefore, the basic rule would be to not look in the eyes of the animal, avoid any action- unless of course we have other situations, in the wild, where getting refuge, if there is one, would be the utmost, quintessential priority.

There is much more and there are television and other documentaries and shows that explain the research made in this area, even if sometimes those who are supposed to teach the public make the ultimate, tragic mistakes…

What was the name of that Australian, The Famous Crocodile Man who died while playing with a cat fish- was it?- Steve Irving?

Doctor Dolittle is all about humor and there is some in there, if we wait long enough and are tolerant and easy to satisfy enough for whatever merriment one can find in this comedy.

However, overall, this is a waste of the enormous talent of the excellent Eddie Murphy.