The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Michael Lehmann

Writer (WGA):

Audrey Wells (written by)

Release Date:

26 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Brian's about to discover the woman he loves isn't the woman he loves.

Plot:

A successful veternarian & radio show host with low self-esteem asks her model friend to impersonate her when a handsome man wants to see her.

Plot Keywords:

Self Esteem | Model | Dog | Art | Mistaken Identity

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Uma Thurman	...	Noelle
Janeane Garofalo	...	Abby
Ben Chaplin	...	Brian
Jamie Foxx	...	Ed
James McCaffrey	...	Roy
Richard Coca	...	Eric
Stanley DeSantis	...	Mario
Antoinette Valente	...	Susan
Mitch Rouse	...	Bee Man
La Tanya M. Fisher	...	Emily
Faryn Einhorn	...	Child Model
David Cross	...	Voice of Male Radio Caller / Bookstore Man
Mary Lynn Rajskub	...	Female Radio Caller (voice)
Bob Odenkirk	...	Bookstore Man
Dechen Thurman	...	Bookstore Cashier

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 on appeal for a sex-related scene and brief strong language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:18 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Germany:12 (w) | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (appeal) (Approved No. 34015) | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Abbot's Habit - 1401 Abbot Kinney Blvd , Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Uma Thurman's own brother, Dechen Thurman was the bookstore clerk who commented on what a great body she had!

Goofs:

Continuity: Brian loses his bag when he asks to escort "Donna" out.

Quotes:

Noelle: What is this? Is this cat hair?
Dr. Abby Barnes: I'm shedding. I'm extremely nervous.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Will & Grace: The Truth About Will and Dogs (#1.10)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Give It Everything

Charming and moving

Without a doubt, my favorite play ever written is CYRANO DE BERGERAC, by Edmund Rostand. People can tell me it's sentimental and mawkish, but I don't care; I absolutely love it. I've seen, I think, most, if not every, movie which has been inspired by it, from the 1950 version by Jose Ferrer(the movie is stagy and changes the play, but he's wonderful), to ROXANNE in 1987, Steve Martin's wonderful re-working of the play as romantic comedy, and best of all, the 1990 version starring Gerard Depardieu(how appropriate France's greatest actor should appear in it giving his best performance). Now comes this movie, which is inspired by it(as I understand it, writer Audrey Wells is a big fan as well) rather than being an outright remake of it, but it's still quite good.

Admittedly, it all hangs on a rather thin premise; that Brian(Ben Chaplin) is unable to tell the voices of Abby(Janeane Garofalo) and Noelle(Uma Thurman) apart. But romantic comedies have had more outrageous concepts before, and no one complained about how realistic they were(like RUNAWAY BRIDE; does anyone believe that one?). And by switching genders, it's able to talk about how women are forced to conform to an impossible ideal of beauty. And yet, at the same time, the message comes through comedy, so you're not being hit over the head.

Also, the performers are quite engaging. It goes without saying Janeane Garofalo is terrific in her first lead role. She's funny, as could be expected, but as she's had to fight the impossible ideal of beauty much of her career, you can sense something personal for her, and she brings that out without getting mawkish. Uma Thurman sends up the "dumb blonde" role without condescending to her. Plus, we like Noelle for the same reason we like Christian in the original; she's actually smarter about love than Abby is(when she says of Brian, "Plus, he's got this one, tiny little fault. He loves you."). Chaplin of course has the object of desire role, which is tough to play, but he brings humor and intelligence to it. And, of course, the dog is great.