I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Blistering performances.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I remember enjoying this outrageous and delightful film when it opened in select reserved seat engagements Dec. of 1967. a blu-ray disc was finally issued late last Fall 2017. unfortunately according to info in the soundtrack album which i still have and the souvenir program the A++ HD transfer is of the general release print not the original cut used for the reserved seat engagements. I don't understand why when films originally released on exclusive roadshow engagements the blu-ray disc doesn't use the original cut.

I loved this film as a kid. I thought it was magical and beautiful. Seeing it again, I wasn't so impressed. Granted I do not hate it as it does have its charms, but the film also does have glaring flaws that prevent it from being anymore enjoyable. The film does look colourful, with beautiful costumes, scenery and photography, the music and songs are gorgeous and memorable and Rex Harrison's lead performance is superb. I also liked the animals, they were cute and charming and actually much more likable than the human characters.Conversely, while the dialogue has its witty moments, it can have a tendency to be slushy and unfunny. The story is also very slight and poorly paced and the direction is a little too relaxed. Harrison excepted, I wasn't impressed with the other acting. Anthony Newley is very annoying and dull, while Samantha Eggar while beautiful is underused and has no chemistry with her co-stars. Overall, a big disappointment despite its charms. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I can't be as kind as many of the other commenters. I didn't see it when it first came out, although, I was inundated with the "Talk With the Animals" song everywhere I turned. Seems like we even played it in our junior high band.I was under the impression that this was the most heralded musical in history with regard to the hype surrounding it. It was only recently that I realized that it was panned by the critics.I finally watched it on Turner Movie Classics and realized what a "snoozer" it was. I kept thinking there might be some romance between someone in the film - Samantha Eggar and Rex Harrison... Samantha Eggar and Anthony Newley... Samantha Eggar and Geoffery Holder... Samantha Eggar and the Push-Me-Pull-You... Anthony Newley and Geoffery Holder... anything that would give this story a little life.Rex Harrison is a great actor and carried this exhausting effort as bravely and heartily as he possibly could, however, in the end, it was a pointless story that dragged on and on and on."Talk to the Animals" was a reasonably good song for a musical, however, the rest of the songs rated "banal" in my estimation. Even Anthony Newly couldn't seem to pull it out of the fire with his pleasant voice and apt song styling.It seems that the only thing that might have held children (since it was a family movie) would have been the animals, which weren't really used all that dramatically.As much as I admire the actors who performed in this insipid tale, I have to say, it barely held my interest. My apologies to those who truly loved this movie.

This film's reputation is so bad that you may be tempted to watch it. If so, you'll find a few charms ("Talk to the Animals" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes" numbers, great production values and a very game Rex Harrison) and riches of embarrassments.It actually starts off fairly well with Anthony Newley introducing Dolittle and explaining how the doctor shifted from human patients to animals. But as it grids on, songs begin to sound similar, dropped in only when it's time for something different (rather than growing out of the plot and characters). The script has a few clever lines, but mostly unbelievable characters (in particular, Samantha Eggar's character is angry without motivation, whereas she could have provided some much needed romantic interest) and situations. (Yes, it's a fantasy, but fantasies can be convincing.) Amazingly, Rex Harrison puts a lot of effort into his part and many of his scenes do pay off ("When I Look Into Your Eyes" song; courtroom scene). The photography, sets, costumes and other production values are gorgeous and you can see the money up there on the screen. But by film's end, one is appalled by the huge investment of time, talent and money, which yield so little result.