The Truth About Cats & Dogs

Plot

Abby Barnes hosts a radio show called The Truth About Cats and Dogs and works as a veterinarian. Photographer Brian calls in for advice, then sends her a gift and asks her out. Insecure about her own looks, Abby lies on the phone, describing herself using her neighbor Noelle Slusarsky’s physical features. She then stands Brian up.

After Abby intervenes in a fight between Noelle and her abusive boyfriend Roy, the two women become friends. When Brian unexpectedly shows up at Abby’s workplace at the same time as Noelle, Abby convinces Noelle to pretend she is Abby. Abby then takes on the persona of Donna, a friend to Noelle (who is posing as Abby), and the three start spending time together. They invent a story that Abby uses a different voice on the radio than in real life.

Brian is physically attracted to Noelle but notices that “Abby” has a much less intellectual personality in person. When he calls the real Abby to ask her out again, he asks her to use her “radio voice,” and they talk for nearly seven hours. The two women plan to tell Brian the truth by having Noelle show up at his home while Abby is live on the radio. But Noelle is entranced by the kind things he says about her personality and intelligence—though he is actually talking about Abby—and fails to confess.

This nearly causes a rift, but Noelle realizes the flattery is not authentic and takes a two-week modeling gig out of town to put distance between herself and Brian. She returns and tells Brian to make a list of what he loves about Abby and to meet at Abby’s apartment that night. He reads the list to “Donna.” The first few items are about Noelle’s appearance, but the list evolves into things about Abby that he has truly fallen in love with.

He professes his love through the bathroom door, thinking “Abby” is bathing inside, but gets no response. He then notices flyers for a charity event Abby is attending, complete with her photo, and realizes the truth.

Themes

Audrey Wells adapted Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by swapping the genders of its main characters. In her film, Abby Barnes (Janeane Garofalo) becomes the clever but physically unattractive Cyrano, Noelle Slusarsky (Uma Thurman) takes the role of Christian, and Brian (Ben Chaplin) stands in for Roxane. Thurman reflected on the story's focus on inner versus outer beauty, pointing out that industries profit by convincing people that appearance matters more than character, and that everyone struggles with this conflict. Critic Aliya Whiteley noted that unlike other Cyrano retellings, this movie gives the friendship between the two female leads just as much weight as the romance.

Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics. It has an 85% 'fresh' rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 47 reviews, with the site's consensus stating: 'Sharp, witty, and charming, The Truth About Cats & Dogs features a standout performance from Janeane Garofalo.' Stephen Hunter of The Baltimore Sun called it 'as good a romantic comedy as has come this way in a long time.' The Hartford Courant said Garofalo 'shows comic flair, deft timing, surprising depth.'

Roger Ebert noted the film 'is not simply another version of the old [Cyrano] story, since it includes a lot of humor that is generated by its specific situation.' Of Garofalo, Ebert wrote that she shows 'a smartness, a penetrating wit' that adds a wry spin. Of Uma Thurman, he wrote that she 'does not simply become a pawn' and handles a difficult situation 'with unexpected sweetness.' Many reviewers criticized the idea that Garofalo's character was expected to be viewed as unattractive, finding it unrealistic due to the actress's natural beauty.

Although the film was a decent commercial success, Garofalo later expressed dissatisfaction with it. Several years after the film's release, Garofalo became an actual radio talk show host when she cohosted The Majority Report on Air America from 2004 to 2006. The film opened to $6.77 million in its opening weekend, nearly tying The Quest, and held the number 2 spot at the United States box office for three consecutive weeks. It grossed $34.9 million in the United States and Canada and $24 million overseas for a worldwide total of $59 million.