The Avengers star opts for a dodgy Welsh accent in an uninspiring if not entirely unwatchable new take on the animal-friendly doctor
![Dolittle review – Robert Downey Jrs middling talking-animals pantomime](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1a198edfdb15c5b23d89d5a824fc56079d4e0a/0_0_1894_1137/master/1894.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctcmV2aWV3LTIucG5n&enable=upscale&s=d43140a1c27fd5780973a4a0e9589702)
Every imaginable indicator suggested that Dolittle, the umpteenth attempt to bring Hugh Lofting’s animal-obsessed doctor to the screen, would be a howling disaster. Putting aside the sheer redundancy of yet another retelling, it’s a film shot two years ago that test audiences hated, leading to reshoots the year after (with the help of a second director). That resulted in two release dates being missed, leaving us with an ominous January bow here in the US, a month typically associated with movies that closely resemble pungent dumpster fires.
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