How Long Is “The Truth About Cats & Dogs”?

A distaff twist on Cyrano de Bergerac, Michael Lehmann's romantic comedy The Truth About Cats and Dogs stars the brilliant Janeane Garofalo as Abby Barnes, the lonely host of a daily pet-care radio show. When an enamored listener, photographer Brian (portrayed by Ben Chaplin), asks Abby on a date, her insecurities get the better of her and she describes herself as a six-foot-tall blonde, a description matching her ingenue neighbor Noelle (Uma Thurman). Ultimately, an unwitting Brian falls for Noelle's body but Abby's mind, a dilemma jeopardizing the future happiness of all three. Lehmann's direction is light and graceful, but The Truth About Cats and Dogs belongs primarily to screenwriter Audrey Wells and the superb cast. Garofalo's performance is a star-making comic turn, and Thurman, so often a remote and distant actress, is at her warmest and most engaging.