There’s only a few days left before Dolittle hits the big screen but it’s still interesting to learn just why Robert Downey Jr. decided to pick this of all movies following his retirement from the MCU. Given all he’s done throughout his career it’s not incredibly hard to see him in a more family-oriented movie but it is something new since if you look at his history you’ll see that he’s often been far more comfortable in more dramatic and, within the past decade at least, action-packed movies that feature an all-star cast and a high-powered theme. Since stepping down as Iron Man however it does sound as though he’s been looking for something that he might enjoy and something that could challenge him a bit and Dolittle, which is being co-produced by his wife Susan, definitely fits the bill. It’s a big change from the movies he’s been doing throughout the years as really he hasn’t done a lot of kids’ movies and no, the MCU movies do not count since they are not initially geared for children no matter that they’re based on popular comic books. Dolittle is by far and large a kid and family-friendly movie and has been since Eddie Murphy took up the role years ago. But as far as why he took on the movie from his own perspective, RDJ had this to say per David Pountain of We Got This Covered:
“I always go ‘Why this movie, why now, why bother?’ And then I, honestly, I looked out the windows and these alpacas are looking at me and our goats and our Oreo cows and our pigs, the kunekune pigs … it just felt kind of synchronistic. And also, you know, we don’t like to go too long without an extremely difficult project to do together, whether it’s a movie or a kid.”
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Dolittle will be going back to its literary roots in a big way since the Murphy version, cute and funny as it was, took the story and updated it in a big way. For its time it was a funny and very entertaining movie, but this version looks to be something that’s a little more on point when it comes to the source material, or at least that’s the hope. In any case it’s a project for RDJ and Susan that has inspired them to bring something that a lot of people remember from their childhoods back to the big screen in an attempt to remind people of the classics and the importance that they still hold on our lives. Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly has more to say on the subject.
Anyone that doubts that RDJ can tone his act down seems to have missed a good chunk of the man’s act in the MCU since despite playing acerbic and sometimes extremely arrogant billionaire Tony Stark he did manage to show that he had a huge heart and a great deal of wonder not unlike a big kid. If nothing else that’s what this movie is calling for, a sense of imagination and wonder that can help propel it forward and inspire the lead actor and character to bedazzle the audience with a display that’s nothing less than wonderful and engaging as he lights up the screen in a manner that can be said to be nothing less than charming and entertaining. Whether or not it’s going to be the big hit that people are wanting has yet to be seen but it certainly won’t take long to make that deduction and it’s likely that we’ll be hearing reviews within the day and throughout the week as to how things went and how the movie was received by critics. The one thing about movie critics however is that it’s usually best to go and watch the movie for yourself no matter what they say if only to have the experience and to make up your own mind without letting someone else spoil the fun for you. Some people go by what the critics say, others tend to read or listen to their reviews and then go and watch anyway, hopefully with open minds and less of a personal bias concerning what they’ve already heard or read. Seth Rogovoy of Forward had another bit of information to share about the story.
Thus far the trailers for the movie have looked quite entertaining and even tend to hint that while the movie is going to be fun and something of a thrill there’s still going to be a slight melancholy feel to it, a hint of the dramatic that RDJ does so well, that might balance things out so that it’s not entirely a comedy but not entirely any one thing either. Those going to the theater to see it are hopefully going to be entertained and have little but good to report once the movie’s been viewed. Until then we’ll be hoping for the best.
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