Director: Michael Lehmann
Running time: 97 minutes
Starring: Janeane Garofalo, Uma Thurman, Ben Chaplin, Jamie Foxx
Writer: Audrey Wells
Grade: A
Overall: ****
Drama: 3 stars
Comedy: 4 stars

Whatever that indefinable characteristic that defines a movie star, Janeane Garofalo has it. Call it screen presence, or charisma, or whatever; when she is on screen, you cannot look away. She draws the audience to her completely—it is hard to notice the other actors who share the screen with her. Garofalo owns THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS & DOGS, making it into a very enjoyable film.

The plot is fairly familiar and predictable: we’ve seen this story before. The twist on CYRANO DE BERGERAC is that this time, there are two women chasing after and deceiving a man, rather than the other way around.

Dr. Abby Barnes (Garofalo) is a veterinarian with a talk show, titled, strangely enough, "The Truth About Cats and Dogs," where she dispenses amusing advice about what to do when your German Shepherd does his business in your shoes. One of her listeners, Brian (Ben Chaplin) is so impressed by her advice that he wants to meet her. Through a series of rather implausible but convenient circumstances, he actually mistakes Noelle Slusarsky (Uma Thurman), Abby’s new friend, for Abby. The women allow the case of mistaken identity to continue, thus setting the stage for the familiar story of CYRANO. The women’s relationship with each other grows into friendship, even as they both pursue Brian. It was interesting to watch the various relationships evolve.

Despite knowing how its going to turn out, it is a wonderful romantic comedy. The other two sides of the triangle, Chaplin and Thurman are fine, but make no mistake: they are supporting characters to the sweet, intelligent—but plain—Garofalo. The film is amusing when it needs to be, and charming when it’s time to stop laughing. One excellent scene is an offbeat coupling between Garofalo and Chaplin. Filmed like your standard love scene, what makes it special is that the participants are each in their respective home.

By switching the genders around, the film shows us a little something different about the sexes than we’ve seen in films like CYRANO and ROXANNE. Are we guys really such jerks, that we would fail to notice a smart, successful, together woman like Garofalo? Would we rather fall all over ourselves trying to get noticed by a beautiful, but slightly dim Uma Thurman? The answer to these questions is obvious: yes. And the film points this out to us repeatedly. Garofalo, conditioned by society to see herself as less of a catch than her beautiful model friend, allows herself to be mistaken for her. As Noelle tells her, "You suffer from low self-esteem."

And the thing is, it rings true. Guys don’t notice intelligent, but plain women. Our society constantly reminds us that successful women are beautiful, and beautiful women are successful, and that if you want to get a guy, you wear makeup, the latest fashions, and starve yourself into a waif-like body. Somehow, though, THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS & DOGS manages to make the lesson enjoyable.

So, okay: it’s familiar territory, and the outcome is no surprise. But the journey is enjoyable nonetheless. It’s funny, romantic, and best of all, it’s got Janeane Garofalo.