THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS & DOGS
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros
(Fox) Directed by Michael Lehmann Written by Audrey Wells Cast Janeane Garofalo, Uma Thurman, Ben Chaplin MPAA Rating "PG-13" Running Time 100 min. Reviewed at Carmike Cinema 7, Raleigh, NC (20APR96)
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This likable romantic comedy stars Janeane Garofalo (BYE BYE LOVE, REALITY BITES) as a talk-show pet doctor who pretends to be her blonde-model friend (Uma Thurman) after a charming caller (Ben Chaplin) asks her out on a date. (Think "Cyrano" Lite.) Mildly hilarious before it descends into "touchy-feely" tedium, THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS is hampered by the casting of two equally attractive leading ladies. For the conflict to work as it's written, the characters need to be a real "Mutt and Jeff" pair. However, Ms. Garofalo is easily as appealing as (if not more than) Ms. Thurman. (If Uma looks less-ravishing than usual, I'd blame the terrible 'do that she wears! Woof!) Director Michael Lehmann (HEATHERS) tries to make Janeane look frumpy, but to no avail. She shines even brighter than her co-star and that's a problem for believability. (Maybe a better title would be THE TRUTH ABOUT WOMEN'S SELF ESTEEM?) That said, Janeane, Uma, and Ben Chaplin have a very good chemistry together. They make this a trip to the vet that's arguably worth taking, even for those of us who gag at all the canine- and feline-related humor.
Grade: C+
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Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC
legeros@nando.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w)
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