Our Flick of the Week is the sparkling new comedy “The Truth About Cats and Dogs,” which dares to give us a Plain Jane lead character (Janeane Garofalo) looking nervously for love but also not wanting to get hurt.
The story becomes a variation on the Cyrano de Bergerac tale when our heroine, a smart radio talk show host specializing in pet problems, gets a call from an attractive guy (Ben Chaplin). Chaplin is charmed by Garofalo and asks her to meet him. The rejection-shy Garofalo persuades her next-door neighbor (Uma Thurman), a ditzy model, to assume her identity. The plot is hatched and, of course, it backfires.
The most enchanting sequence in the film, however, is a different kind of blind date (between Garofalo and Chaplin) that lasts all night — on the phone. Their rapport is magical and, in a rare event for an American movie, we actually see a couple engage each other emotionally.
Garofalo (“The Larry Sanders Show”) is anything but a Plain Jane. Having just seen her on “The Today Show,” it’s clear she dressed down for this part and that she has captured the slumping posture of a woman who is not comfortable with her body. Millions of men and women will be able to relate to her physical self-doubt.
Did I mention the film is a comedy? It is very smart and funny, but its importance is that it offers up a real woman to follow. That is rare and special.
“The Truth About Cats and Dogs” is rated PG-13. (star) (star) (star) 1/2
Flicks Pick Guide
– = New this week
– THE CELLULOID CLOSET. A superb documentary about images of homosexuality in film. What directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have achieved is a genuine emotional arc to this story of a minority coming of age. I only wish they had delayed their production to include the extraordinary response to “The Birdcage.” Based on the book by Vito Russo. Not rated. (star) (star) (star) 1/2
– MULHOLLAND FALLS. A self-conscious “Chinatown”-wannabe about corruption in the 1950s atomic energy program. A Los Angeles detective (Nick Nolte) and his “Hat Squad” of helpers follow the murky trail of a murdered bombshell with whom he has shared a bed. I cared more about the period decor, clothes and vintage cars than any of the characters. The story is much too close in form to “Chinatown” to withstand comparison. R. (star) (star)
– SUNSET PARK. A surprisingly good sports film that seeks to break every convention of the genre. It has the traditional form of an action picture. The movie is about a group of rag-tag losers who bond together under a charismatic coach to win the big game, except that all standard elements have been changed. The high school basketball players are not multi-ethnic, they are African-American. Many of them are quite talented, but need motivation. The coach is not a man, it’s a woman (Rhea Pearlman) taking the job just to make a few extra bucks. And a bright new star emerges in the talented cast of players — Fredro Starr is the star of the team and he steals the movie as well. R. (star) (star) (star)
– THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS. This week’s Flick of the Week.
