‘DOLITTLE’ (Rated PG)

January is typically a dumping ground for the release of films that may have limited commercial prospects, and one has to wonder if that’s the case for family-friendly “Dolittle,” which reportedly had a huge budget.

The lineage of the “Dolittle” franchise goes back to 1967 when Rex Harrison played the titular character of the reclusive doctor who could communicate with animals, followed more than 30 years later with Eddie Murphy in the role.

Robert Downey, Jr., appearing irascible and mismatched for the role, is the famed Dr. Dolittle and veterinarian of Queen Victoria’s England, living as a hermit behind the high walls of his large country estate after the death of his beloved wife who perished on a sea voyage.

Looking unkempt with his straggly beard and rumpled clothes, the withdrawn doctor lives with a menagerie of talking animals, including the parrot Polynesia (Emma Thompson) who serves as the doctor’s reliable conscience and anxious chess-playing gorilla Chee-Chee (Rami Malek).

Other oddball creatures in Dolittle’s orbit are the bird-brained duck Dab-Dab (Octavia Spencer) and the bickering duo of the neurotic ostrich Plimpton (Kumail Nanjiani) and the sun worshipper polar bear Yoshi (John Cena).

The quietude of Dolittle’s estate is cracked when Tom Stubbins (Harry Collett), an animal-loving young lad shows up seeking help for an injured squirrel he accidentally shot.

Coincidentally, at the same time, Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado), a young attendant to Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley), arrives with an urgent request from Buckingham Palace for the doctor’s help to save the young monarch from a mysterious illness.

Apparently, the cure for the queen’s malady is the fruit of the Eden Tree, which can only be located in a journal hidden on the island of Monteverde, which is ruled by the Pirate King Rassouli (Antonio Banderas), the father of Dolittle’s late wife.

Retrieving the journal and the antidote requires setting sail with the menagerie, along with Stubbins as a stowaway, on a journey where the doctor is pursued by his nemesis, Dr. Mudfly (Michael Sheen), the queen’s deceitful personal physician.

The doctor’s mission is complicated not only by a hostile British Navy vessel commanded by Mudfly, but the ill-tempered King Rassouli, who blames him for his daughter’s death and wants to feed Dolittle to a tiger named Barry (Ralph Fiennes).

Back in England, Queen Victoria may succumb to her illness if Dolittle fails, and palace intrigue materializes with Lord Badgley (Jim Broadbent) standing in the wings eager to take the crown.

A story in the Hollywood Reporter recalls how the 1967 “Doctor Dolittle” bombed so badly that it almost bankrupted the 20th Century Fox studio. The same won’t happen to Universal Studios, but “Dolittle” may have trouble recouping its investment.

The humor of the talking animals and high seas escapades may not add up for excitement for everyone, but “Dolittle” is a passable entertainment for children at a time when so few family-oriented options are available.



‘FBI: MOST WANTED’ ON CBS

There is not a more prolific producer of television crime dramas than Dick Wolf, and now he is building on the success of “FBI,” which debuted in the fall of 2018, with “FBI: Most Wanted” on the CBS network.

During the TV critics’ winter press tour, Wolf noted that the two series are “inextricably linked, in terms of attitude, but the storytelling is very different,” and a crossover is going to happen sometime in the spring.

“FBI” Most Wanted” stars Julian McMahon as the seasoned agent Jess LaCroix, who oversees the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force, which relentlessly tracks and captures notorious criminals on the Bureau’s Most Wanted List.

The first episode established the pattern for how the highly skilled team functions as a mobile undercover unit that is always out in the field, pursuing those who are most desperate to elude the long arm of the law.

In its debut, the series runs with the hunt for a corrupt doctor pushing pills who ends up committing murder. The chase is then on across many state lines, with a few interludes of getting to know the FBI team members.

It appears the series will take time to flesh out the backstories of the squad, with Army veteran Kenny Crosby (Kellan Lutz) standing out in the first episode due in large part to his anger management issues.

In recent times, political controversy has embroiled the FBI’s top leadership, and during the press tour, Dick Wolf noted his respect for the Bureau as an “apolitical organization for 98 percent of the people who are carrying badges.”

On a refreshing note, Wolf expressed no interest in political statements, observing that to do so would only anger “either 49 or 51 percent of the audience before you start doing anything,” adding that the show is “an homage to the FBI boots on the ground.”

Wolf takes a sensible position. A crime drama series should stick to entertainment and skip polemical diatribes. Fortunately, “FBI: Most Wanted,” though much of the action is predictable, is designed to entertain.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.