Few modern films have suffered the slings and arrows of critics quite like Dolittle, Robert Downey Jr.’s much-maligned first post-Marvel gambit. Our review, for example, lambasted its “confused, sweaty, zigzag approach to storytelling,” as well as the choice to sandwich its kid-friendly gimmick—kindly doctor speaks to animals—between a dead wife subplot and a dragon enema.
The wonderful thing about art, however, is that it lives on forever, just waiting to be picked up, reassessed, and, at long last, understood. Just look at John Carpenter’s The Thing or Karyn Kusama’s Jennifer’s Body—both have evolved into cult classics in the years since their respective releases. Is Dolittle next? Were the critics wrong? Was the dragon enema good, actually?
One influential voice says yes. That voice? Britney Spears.
The socialist hero and occasional pop star took to Instagram—where she’s just been killing it lately—to call the film “a must see !!!”
“@RobertDowneyJr is so genuine you fall in love with him,” she writes, adding that “the animal characters” are hilarious and that the “jackets and clothing” are such that you may get distracted from the story. Thankfully, Spears asserts that so long as you remember that Dolittle is “a man who can speak to animals and he’s brilliant,” you’ll be fine.
Overall, she seems to suggest Dolittle is more of an atmospheric experience than anything, mulling that “there seems to be a Special Tone throughout the whole movie which I find hard to find these days.” While we’re unsure what she means by “Special Tone,” we imagine it’s akin to the warm fuzzies we get from the colorful abundance of parrot, whale, lion, pig, and butterfly emojis peppered within.
Sometimes it takes decades for a movie to find its audience. For Dolittle, it only took a few months.
Now do Uncut Gems, Brit.
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12 Comments
I think by ‘special tone throughout‘, she means the audience is kept ever so slightly at a distance away from the movie, kinda like someone talking slightly AT you rather than to you.And honestly, would it have killed them to just have the wifey just sittin there alive waiting on the island? And don’t give me some tropety-trope-trope verbalage, it’s a charming kids movie so I’m talking about just embracing the once quaint simplicity of “oh look, there they are… big hugs… prance off happily into the end credits”. Ugh.
I was honestly shocked the wife wasn’t on the island. Bummer. But it wasn’t bad, it’s just a kid’s movie. And dumb. But still a kid’s movie. I liked all the big stars hamming it up.
Whew, thanks. Exactly. It’s got a farting dragon and everyone gleefully enjoying hamming it up, it’s not high drama, go with it.
And thus answers the Question: “Who is this movie for?”The answer was apparently Britney Spears.
Well, as long as she went to see it eighty thousand times in the cinema, they’re quids in.
This will not help her case for ending the conservatorship.
She had an opinion and she put it out there. Based on her history, most reading this article wouldn’t think much of her thoughts, opinions or life choices unless they were financially dependent on her. It would appear that she is thinking of this movie in regards to her kids and other children. Don’t we each in our own way put stuff out there and hope others agree with it?
I just want to know what she is on, because I watched it after eating a pot gummy and drinking two gin and tonics and I was still not the least bit entertained by this shit show
You forgot to add the Special Tone to your G&T.
“…a Special Tone which I find hard to find these days,” she wrote, dropping the crayon on the desk in sheer satisfaction. Le mot juste.
I am certainly no Britney Spears’ apologist but isn’t picking on her like shooting fish in a barrel? I’m usually happy to see people called out for their stupidity, but she’s not trying to be the expert or trying to knock people down – she’s just sharing her opinion about an inconsequential movie, let alone doing it while we’re all going a little stir crazy and looking for something to take our minds of the insanity of the world right now. Hey, a crummy movie brought someone some joy. That’s actually pretty great right now.
Eh, I would watch Doolittle with Britney Spears. It would be fun.