The Truth About Cats & Dogs
by Michael Lehmann
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DVD details
Actor: Ben Chaplin, James McCaffrey, Jamie Foxx, Janeane Garofalo, Uma ThurmanDirector: Michael Lehmann
Brand: THURMAN,UMA
Cinematographer: Robert Brinkmann
Editor: Stephen Semel
Producer: Audrey Wells
Writer: Audrey Wells
Producer: Cari-Esta Albert
Producer: Richard Hashimoto
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 97 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-04-17
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of The Truth About Cats & Dogs
DVD Review: Gender Reversal
Summary: 5 Stars
For those classical-minded among you the plot of this movie is taken directly from Cyrano de Bergerac, with the gender roles reversed.
Janeane Garofalo is Cyrano, and instead of an enormous nose she's just short and a little plump. When placed beside six foot tall blond haired Uma Thurman, she's rather overshadowed.
But like Cyrano she's the smart, funny spirit that Roxanne - I mean Ben - falls in love with, not knowing the voice he hears isn't the face he meets.
Absolutely great movie and Janeane gets the final punchline:
"I don't know - I made a lot of calls that night..."
The straight line that feeds it you must see for yourself.
DVD Review: Not a total dog, the two frisky felines are fun
Summary: 2 Stars
Abbie (Janeane Garofalo) is a vet who hosts her own radio call in show. Each day she offers her advice to pet owners on how they can better relate to their pets and have more fulfilling relationships. Though she's cute she doesn't receive as much attention as someone who looks like her neighbor Noelle (Uma Thurman). Noelle is a model who dreams of being taken seriously as a newswoman. Abbie resents her for her power over men and assumes she enjoys a life of relative ease. It is only after she comes to her aid after a fight with an abusive boyfriend that the two women get to know each other and become friends. Abbie needs her new best friend's help when a caller named Brian (Ben Chaplin) suggests a face to face meeting. Fearing that her looks won't be good enough she has Noelle pose as her. The ruse lasts longer than it should even though Brian has a hard time reconciling the sassy and confident radio voice with the shy and nervous person in real life. As the three start spending more time together both women fall for Brian causing a rift in their friendship. Garofalo is anything but ugly, she's pretty sexy actually. Her Abbie is quick with a put down and wonderfully sarcastic but also vulnerable and lonely just like Noelle. Thurman starts off as a stereotypical model or dumb blonde but evolves into a more confident and independent woman. The first hour works best since after that point you know where things are headed. It's a funny and charming film that has some awesome work from Garofalo and Thurman.DVD Review: The truth about this movie
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm a fan of romantic comedies, but somehow I had missed this one. I decided to watch it after I had read an interview with Janeane Garofalo, in which she mentioned that she had felt "uncomfortable" playing the role of the ugly duckling in this film. After watching it, I can see why she said that.
Regardless of how Garofalo felt or what she said, Cats & Dogs is not a very good romantic comedy. I don't expect actors to "like" all the roles they play; even acting is a job, after all. It's true that Cats & Dogs can be compared to Cyrano de Bergerac, but it has none of the wit and charm of that great romantic comedy classic. It's very dumbed down, as dumb as the cliched blonde that Uma Thurman plays in her role. (I wonder if Thurman felt uncomfortable with her role as well?)
I'm not saying that I didn't fall for some of the manipulative charms of this movie. In pure physical terms I find Garofalo more attractive than Thurman, so I had no problem rooting for the underdog, or undercat, in this story. I imagined, vicariously, meeting someone as pretty, smart, charming, funny, and talented as Abby (Garofalo's character). But this movie tried too hard to convince us that Abby was unattractive, made even worse by the forced and contrived contrast between the "dumb beauty" and the "smart beast." Too much of the dialogue was wasted on the cynical message that only beautiful girls can get great guys, and even that message was muddled because Thurman's character, Noelle, a model, had an abusive boyfriend (not funny!).
Most romantic comedies feature at least one memorable scene. When Harry Met Sally had the restaurant scene. There's Something About Mary had the hair gel scene. Cats & Dogs has a phone sex scene. It was amusing, but it wasn't done with panache and polish. In other words, it's forgettable.
I don't regret watching this movie. I'll watch anything with Garofalo, as she is one of the few actors I feel a little crush for. And no, I don't feel a crush just because she's pretty. She's smart, funny, and witty, too.
DVD Review: The Truth About The Truth About Cats & Dogs
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is a romcom, AKA romantic comedy, and the twist is that the smart, short girl gets the guy, not the tall blonde model, Noelle (Uma Thurman). Dr. Abby Barnes (Janeane Garofalo) is a veterinarian with a call in radio show, but low self esteem when it comes to men. Brian (Ben Chaplin) is a caller with a dog problem. He got a big dog from the pound for a photo shoot, and put the pooch on roller skates. The dog is destroying the house, but he can't get him off the skates. Abby talks him through it, and he ends up bonding with the dog. He tries to arrange a face-to-face meeting, to thank her, and also, because he is attracted to her. Duh. She doesn't show up for the rendezvous, but then a series of seemingly random events conspire to make him think that Abby's attractive neighbor Noelle is the woman he has been speaking to.
Janeane is used to playing the friend. In Reality Bites, she was really a hoot, but the story focused on Winona Ryder. She was just the back story, an after thought, really. Even though she had a lot going on, it was all Winona, Winona, Winona. In this film, however, they really get you to be more interested in Abby, and Noelle is cute and a nice if not too bright person, but she is so boring that you are really more attracted to Abby, and you don't even notice that they never even tie the loose ends up with Noelle and the jerks she dates, like Roy. Maybe she could've hooked up with Ed (Jamie Foxx), Brian's friend. I'm surprised that she didn't hook up with anyone, but the story is really about Brian and Abby, and they live happily ever after (or don't, just so I am not spoiling the end for anyone who hasn't seen this).
This is a well made romcom and I wasn't asking too much of it, but neither was I disappointed. Garofalo wise cracks her way through with much aplomb, but seeing her jokes on paper, they aren't nearly as funny. Guess it is just her deadpan delivery and comic timing. Another thing I will say is that they handled the preposterous plot well, and didn't just get sloppy and think, who cares? This is just a romcom. Preposterous, yes, but plausible the way it was filmed, and they never ignore the laws of physics or violate the time-space continuum.
The movie also has cute cats & dogs. Abby has a cat that looks just like my cat, Felix. A fluffy black and white cat with a cute black nose. Hank is the big dog that Brian adopts. Hank is kind of like Marmaduke, the dog in the newspaper comics. It was good, but I am only giving it 3 stars.
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Uma Thurman .... Noelle
The Accidental Husband (2008) .... Dr. Emma Lloyd
The Life Before Her Eyes (2007) .... Diana McFee
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) .... Jenny Johnson / G-Girl
The Producers (2005) .... Ulla
Prime (2005) .... Rafi Gardet
Be Cool (2005) .... Edie Athens
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) .... Beatrix Kiddo - The Bride, 'Black Mamba'
Paycheck (2003) .... Dr. Rachel Porter
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) .... The Bride
Hysterical Blindness (2002) (TV) .... Debby Miller
Chelsea Walls (2001) .... Grace
Tape (2001) .... Amy Randall
The Golden Bowl (2000) .... Charlotte Stant
Vatel (2000) .... Anne de Montausier
Sweet and Lowdown (1999) .... Blanche
The Avengers (1998) .... Emma Peel
Mis?rables, Les (1998) .... Fantine
Gattaca (1997) .... Irene Cassini
Batman & Robin (1997) .... Poison Ivy / Dr. Pamela Isley
Beautiful Girls (1996) .... Andera
A Month by the Lake (1995) .... Miss Beaumont
Pulp Fiction (1994) .... Mia Wallace
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) .... Sissy Hankshaw
Mad Dog and Glory (1993) .... Glory
Jennifer Eight (1992) .... Helena Robertson
Final Analysis (1992) .... Diana Baylor
Robin Hood (1991/I) (TV) .... Maid Marian
Henry & June (1990) .... June Miller
Where the Heart Is (1990) .... Daphne McBain
Dangerous Liaisons (1988) .... C?cile de Volanges
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) .... Venus/Rose
Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1988) .... Laura
Johnny Be Good (1988) .... Georgia Elkans
Kaze no tani no Naushika (1984) (voice: English version) .... Kushana
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Janeane Garofalo .... Dr. Abby Barnes
Reality Bites (10th Anniversary Edition) (1994) .... Vickie Miner
The Cable Guy (Full Screen) (1996) .... Medieval Times Waitress
Touch (1997) / Movie (1997) .... Kathy Worthington. Not the same as Ben Chaplin's film with Michelle Yeoh, but this one has Tom Arnold, Christopher Walken, Bridgett Fonda, John Doe (of X), Gina Gershon, and LL Cool J.
Cop Land (1997) .... Deputy Cindy Betts
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) .... Heather Mooney
Dog Park (1998) .... Jeri
Mystery Men (1999) .... The Bowler. A super hero spoof with Ben Stiller and Hank Azira.
Ratatouille (2007) (voice) .... Colette
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Ben Chaplin .... Brian
The Remains of the Day (Special Edition) (1993) .... Charlie, Head Footman
Birthday Girl (2001) .... John. Ben Chaplin co-starred with Nicole Kidman.
Murder by Numbers (2002) .... Sam Kennedy. Here Ben is opposite Sandra Bullock.
The Touch (2002) .... Eric. Michelle Yeoh and Ben this time.
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Jamie Foxx .... Ed
Booty Call (1997) .... Bunz
Ray (Widescreen Edition) (2004/I) .... Ray Charles. Jamie was awesome as Ray Charles, and for that he won a well deserved Oscar.
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I thought there would be some good quotes from this, some of Garofalo's zingers, but looking back, I couldn't find any. So here's one from another movie.
A Few Good Men:
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Col. Jessep: [shouts] You can't handle the truth!
DVD Review: IT'S ONLY ME BUT:
Summary: 4 Stars
GREAT LIGHT HEARTED ROMANTIC MOVIE ABOUT TWO FIREND. ONE A TAALL BLOND AND ONE A SHORT BRUNET. THE SHORT BRUNET THINKS SHE HAS TO BE A TALL BLOND TO FIND LOVE. JM
Description of The Truth About Cats & Dogs
Charming and bittersweet, this modern-day romantic comedy starring Uma Thurman, Janeane Garofalo and Ben Chaplin, explores the beguiling perils of mistaken identity.Abby (Garofalo), a savvy, witty veterinarian who hosts her own radio talk show, is anything but confident when it comes to love. A petite brunette, she describes herself as tall and blonde when Brian (Chaplin), a caller who is smitten with her radio persona, asks her on a date. She then talks her tall, blonde neighbor Noelle (Thurman) into assuming her identity, setting off an escalating series of hilarious and romantic crises.
One of the most memorably offbeat romantic comedies of the 1990s begins when a talk-radio veterinarian named Abby (Janeane Garofalo) takes a call from Brian (Ben Chaplin), the owner of a roller-skating Great Dane. Brian is intrigued by Abby's voice and asks if she'll agree to meet him. Insecure about her looks and her nonexistent love life, Abby agrees, but describes herself as a tall blonde, then begs her attractive neighbor Noelle (played by Uma Thurman) to meet with Brian in her place. The ensuing case of switched identity is complicated when Noelle takes a liking to Brian who, of course, thinks she is Abby. This confusion gains comedic momentum when Abby safely plays herself on the radio and in a long, hilariously seductive phone call with Brian, but by now the situation has grown hopelessly complex, and Abby has to find a way to reveal herself without disappointing Brian. Many viewers rightly complained that the movie relies on the assumption that Abby is unattractive, even though Garofalo is more attractive and appealing here than she'd been in several movies before and since. Still, this contemporary variation on Cyrano de Bergerac is a lightweight, good-natured surprise that values the quirks and foibles that make lovelorn romantics (including their pets) uniquely appealing. --Jeff Shannon
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