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

Unpleasant truths exposed!

"The Truth About Cats and Dogs" may be a charming and (rare these days) profanity free comedy, but it reveals some unpleasant truths about Hollywood and maybe American society as a whole. Janeane Garofolo plays a veterinarian who dispenses advice about pets on a radio talk show. One male caller is so taken with her voice and personality that he asks her for a physical description and a meeting. Insecure about her looks, the petite brunette describes herself as a tall blonde, and when her admirer appears at the radio station, he is introduced to Uma Thurman, a tall blonde, who agrees to trade places with Garofolo. The message of this film is that the beauty within is more important than physical attractiveness, but the other unintended message is that physical beauty is not in the eye of the beholder but determined by how closely one resembles the seemingly bulimic fashion models plastered on magazine covers. Uma Thurman is a perfect match which is the same as saying she is, in Hollywood's eyes, perfect. I couldn't disagree more. Thurman is a bag of bones and, to my eyes, not at all attractive. Garofolo, who at one point in the film is called "ugly," is, in fact, the woman with the most appeal, physically and in terms of personality. She makes this movie worth remembering.