Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006)

When I saw the first "Dr. Dolittle" movie (on free TV, naturally - there was no way I was going to pay to see it!), I thought that would be enough for me. I didn't see part 2. But when the opportunity to see this sequel came to me, I decided to take a chance, seeing that Eddie Murphy (an actor I can't stand) wasn't in it. (As well, I got a free opportunity to see this movie as well.)

For a made-for-DVD movie, the production values are pretty good. Not theatrically lavish, but the movie looked pretty good. The movie has some positive messages about being yourself, and the humor is not as crude as some other "family" movies (though there is the occasional questionable element, like one teen being socked in the crotch, and one animal saying he has the "runs".) That's about all I can say that's positive about this movie.

The characters (except maybe for the ranch boss and his son) aren't very likable (even the female heroine.) The movie is also stretched out noticeably - there's about enough story for an hour-long drama for TV (with commercials.) It doesn't help that the story is VERY predictable. There is also the problem I had with the first movie - if the animals are so smart to be able to communicate with the Dolittles, then why do they act like stupid animals with the other humans instead of doing what they think? (And why does no one notice their mouth movements when they are speaking to a Dolittle?)

I've seen plenty of worse made-for-DVD movies, but I was still seriously bored, and I think older viewers will feel the same. There must have been plenty of young fans of this movie, because as of this date, there have been TWO MORE sequels in this series sent to video stores! Kids might like these movies, but parents, you can surely expose them to better family movies than this!

P.S. - Gary Busey must have REALLY needed the money to have contributed to this movie!