Dr. Abby Barnes (Janeane Garofalo) hosts the "Truth About Cats and Dogs" radio show. Caller Brian (Ben Chaplin) wants to meet Abby. She gives him a description of her hot neighbor Noelle (Uma Thurman). She comes to the rescue standing up to Noelle's brutish manager-boyfriend. Brian comes to the station to find Abby but mistakes Noelle as Abby. Abby becomes the fake best friend Donna. He falls for Abby's voice and Noelle's body. Ed (Jamie Foxx) is Brian's best friend.
It's Cyrano de Bergerac on the surface but more of a sitcom in its substance. These are two dimensional characters. Smart mouthed Garofalo is adorable. Uma Thurman is playing it a little too dumb. At least they have some fun together. The mistaken identity is cute and silly but not really that deep. It's definitely sitcomy with Noelle sticking her finger up a turtle's butt. The best part of the movie is the girls' friendship. The romance isn't quite so compelling and very melodramatic.
The Truth About Cats & Dogs
1996
Action / Comedy / Romance
The Truth About Cats & Dogs
1996
Action / Comedy / Romance
Plot summary
Janeane Garofalo plays Dr. Abby Barnes, the "Truth About Cats and Dogs" radio question-and-answer show host who unwittingly entices a listener over the radio with her soothing voice and personality. This listener, Brian, tries to meet the Abby from the radio, but Noelle, played by Uma Thurman, is mistaken for the real thing when Brian comes to the studio. Instead of clearing things up right away, the self-conscious Abby allows her best friend, Noelle, a tall, stunning blonde, to take her place for a while. Abby takes on the made-up persona of Donna, while thinking Brian would never go for her, a short, cute, brunette, who thinks she's unattractive. As the real Abby woos Brian over the phone and radio, Noelle, the pseudo-Abby, takes her place in the flesh. As time goes on, Abby feels more and more confident that Brian would rather have the beautiful Noelle than the simply attractive Abby.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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cute sitcom
imago movens cattum et canem sustinet (English translation: the movie holds up a cat and a dog)
In a role somewhat predicting her roles in "Mystery Men", "Dogma" and "Steal this Movie", Janeane Garofalo plays an unglamorous radio talk show host who hires glamorous Uma Thurman to play her for a fan (Ben Chaplin); needless to say, things proliferate. Maybe at the bare minimum, this movie is looking at our obsessions with our bodies, but it certainly comes out as more than that. I always expect a lot from Janeane Garofalo, and she doesn't disappoint here. Not a great movie, but worth seeing. Also starring Jamie Foxx.
Oh, and that Latin? I just thought that it sounded neat and wanted to use it.
A Disgusting Lie Of A Movie
"The Truth?" No, truth takes a back seat in this "family' film."
Wow, is this movie sickening or what? It clearly demonstrates how "family films" had gone down the dumper by 1996. Here, the whole story is a lie: a plain woman lying her way to having a romance.
The most memorable line is Uma Thurman's character casually telling her plain friend (Janeane Garafolo),"Oh, I'd f--k ya!" To the reviewers who said this movie was profanity-free, umm, I think the f-word is considered "profanity."
Even family-friendly critic Michael Medved descirbed this as "good family entertainment. " Sorry, Mike, but you messed up on this one. The "truth" is that the film was an insult to anyone's intelligence.