Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts Blu-ray Movie Review

Does this Blu-ray bark or whimper?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 27, 2009

This dog is not just going to roll over and take it lying down.

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts isn't the greatest movie ever made. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble. What it is though is perfectly acceptable for what it is and what it sets out to do, which is to entertain a younger audience with tales of talking pets and the human girl that can communicate with them. The film follows the standard formula for a movie like this one, featuring a plot that has the hero jump to conclusions before fully thinking the decision out and learning from her mistake by the end of the film, with plenty of innocent humor along the way. To the adult eye, and maybe even some of the more advanced members of its target audience, Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts can become quite tedious and borderline insulting, but there is an underlying sweetness to its simplicity and the way the film takes modern culture and melds it into a good life lesson, no matter how "duh" the lesson may seem to most anyone that sits down to watch it. If nothing else, the young ones will enjoy the talking dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, horses, and other assorted creatures that populate Million Dollar Mutts' easily-digestible 87 minute runtime.

Don't talk, just feed!

Maya Dolittle (Kyla Pratt), daughter of the famous Dr. Dolittle, shares her father's unique ability to communicate verbally with animals. Maya's off to college, veterinary school to be exact, much to the chagrin of her pooch, Lucky. When Maya learns that her university provides no hands-on work with animals and requires a stringent seven-year program, she becomes disillusioned with the idea, believing she can instead help the animals through dialogue alone. When word of Maya's unique abilities makes the news after she talks a cat down from a tree, Hollywood teen sensation Tiffany Monaco (Tegan Moss) pays her a visit with a request to return to Hollywood and figure out what is wrong with her own dog. Maya's mother allows the trip, but only if her daughter returns home promptly. Maya finds herself drawn to the Hollywood scene, meeting and falling for a well-known TV star, Brandon Turner (Brandon Jay McLaren), and also receiving a most intriguing proposition: her own talk show in which she will help celebrities solve problems with their pets. Maya clandestinely keeps word of her desire to stay in Tinseltown from her worried mother while she and co-host Tiffany shop 'til they drop in celebration. Will Maya live her dream in Hollywood, or will she come to realize that her unique ability can only take her so far?

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts feels like an after school special that speaks on the importance of making the smart decision and not falling prey to the allure of instant gratification and the temptation to believe oneself ready for a world that is far more complex and demanding than it may, externally, seem to be. Unfortunately, the plot seems a bit too convenient and dumbed down even for this sort of picture. The protagonist seems surprised at the course of study required of her at veterinary school; apparently her university of choice keeps such information under wraps until after a student is accepted. She's also painfully unaware that diagnosing and treating animals requires more than the ability to communicate with them. That's why every human on the planet with the ability to engage in dialogue is fully qualified to diagnose illnesses, prescribe the proper medication, and if necessary, perform any operation, large or small, to the greatest efficiency allowed by modern medicine. The life lesson in Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts is a worthwhile one; it's just a shame that it couldn't have been framed in the context of a slightly more believable plot line.

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts enjoys a few scattered laughs that should catch the ears of the adults in the audience, but no doubt children will find this one far more funny. The best laughs tend to come via secondary and tertiary characters with limited screen time, for example a cat stuck in a tree and hiding from its stinky owner at the beginning of the film or a hardcore rapper with a fluffy bunny rabbit in the second act. Most of the best material is reserved for the animals, and Maya's dog in particular. The human characters receive far less to work with, spouting out clichéd 3:00 AM dialogue that most any member of the target audience could probably have improved upon. Sure, nobody expects the next great thing from a Dr. Dolittle film, particularly the fifth in the series and the third in a row to go straight to video, but something a bit better than flat characters, bad dialogue, and plenty of movie clichés would be welcome. To top it all off, the acting comes off as wooden but there is no doubt that the cast is at least enjoying the lighthearted nature of the film and its story. All qualms about the film aside, though, it's really good enough for what it needs to be when viewed in the proper context. It strives for nothing more and, taken in that frame-of-reference, Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts still doesn't strike gold, but it digs up a few bones worth gnawing on.

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts struts onto Blu-ray with a 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Shot in HD video, this one takes on the look of a good high definition broadcast presentation rather than the crisp, film-like imagery that accompanies the best of Blu-ray. The transfer consistently delivers soft imagery in both the foreground and the background, dull colors, and average amounts of detail and depth. Although there are plenty of colors throughout the film -- particularly reds, pinks, and blues -- none seem to dominate the frame and they certainly never appear all that vivid. There is virtually no "pop" to the image and it generally takes on a flat, pedestrian appearance. Fine details generally don't impress; close-up shots adequately reproduce the foreground images, but background material -- for example trees and other foliage -- look clumpy, messy, and undefined. Flesh tones look a bit rosy, and blacks neither impress nor disappoint. Because Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts was shot on video, there is no grain inherent to the image, and practically no noise throughout, this transfer delivering a smooth and clean appearance. All in all, this is an acceptable transfer of a low-budget, direct-to-Blu-ray film.

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts barks onto Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. In this completely front-heavy audio presentation, music impresses the most, with a crisp enough delivery of pop, rap, and instrumental music as it plays through the front speakers, some of which features a decent bass accompaniment. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, there's not much going on outside of dialogue and music. A few scattered sound effects, for instance the rumbling of Tiffany's car's engine, plays subtly in the background but no one sound effect ever really makes for an ear-catching listen. A bustling office creates a minor atmosphere in the front but never manages to place the listener in its midst. Only a few minor, barely noticeable effects flow from the otherwise silent rear channels. All things considered, though, this one is good enough, with adequate dialogue reproduction solidifying the experience.

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts yaps up a miniscule amount of fluffy bonus features. Tiffany's Tricked Out Cell Phone (480p, 4:35) allows viewers to watch a few "camera phone" videos that take viewers behind-the-scenes of the film, looking at pet costumes, human costumes, and a few storyboard-to-final-film comparisons. No Business Like Show Business (480p, 7:56) features a glimpse into the massive amounts of work that go into making a film, particularly one that involves animal actors and the special effects behind making it appear that they can talk. Finally, Star Tours: Dolittle Style (480p, 5:08) takes viewers on brief tours of several sets seen in the film. Disc two of this set offers a DVD of the film that contains the same special features as found on the Blu-ray disc.

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's never fun to point out the flaws in a movie like Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts. These sorts of films are meant for an audience that either won't care or won't understand the problems inherent to the picture, and for those viewers, it's a perfectly fine experience. Populated by plenty of cute animals; a cast that won't walk away with any Oscars but have a good bit of fun with the material; and a decent life lesson on the importance of discipline and not cutting corners, even if it is presented rather absurdly; Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts should satisfy young viewers and, hopefully, get its message across. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray release, much like the film, won't impress Blu-ray fans expecting high quality, but the disc is certainly not a technical disaster. Sporting a passable but not at all exciting 1080p image, a front-heavy but adequately clear lossless soundtrack, and a few take 'em or leave 'em extras, Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts should make for a good rental on family movie night. Besides, any movie with a character named "Paul Furhooven" is at least worth checking out.