Rent Dr. Dolittle (1998) on DVD and Blu-ray – DVD Netflix

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this crude but funny Eddie Murphy vehicle lifts the name and basic concept from Hugh Lofting’s famous stories about a man who can “talk to the animals.” An enormous amount of sophomoric humor — innuendo, potty humor, iffy language — involving the good doctor’s animal patients is added to the mix. Because many of the jokes include toilet humor and crude references to the human body, parents may want to decide whether or not they feel comfortable with this type of content for younger kids, though those children will certainly be charmed by the animal characters. Older kids will enjoy the jokes, but parents may still wish to exercise discretion, due to the nature of the humor, which includes innuendo and some language (“ass,” and one use of “s–t”).

Sexual
Content

Much of the film contains mildly raunchy material, including double entendres and sexual innuendo — expect jokes about a thermometer going into a dog’s rear end, and a pigeon preferring “orange breasts.”

Violence

The rat characters keep goading each other into a fist fight. A rat nearly dies on the operating table. A woman with an allergic reaction to shellfish visits Dolittle’s office with horrifically puffed-up eyes (her bruised posterior is also featured).

Language

At one point Dolittle quickly utters “s–t,” and there are many almost-curses that are cut off. Several uses of “ass.” Jokes involve excretion, flatulence, and urination; countless gags center around animals’ “butts.” The terms “crap” and “nooky” are also utilized.

Social
Behavior

The message (“be who you are and love who you are”) is lost amid the crude humor.

Consumerism

Not applicable

Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol

Not applicable