Product Description

Charming and bittersweet, this modern-day romantic comedy starring Uma Thurman, Janeane Garofalo and Ben Chaplin, explores the beguiling perils of mistaken identity.

Abby (Garofalo), a savvy, witty veterinarian who hosts her own radio talk show, is anything but confident when it comes to love. A petite brunette, she describes herself as tall and blonde when Brian (Chaplin), a caller who is smitten with her radio persona, asks her on a date. She then talks her tall, blonde neighbor Noelle (Thurman) into assuming her identity, setting off an escalating series of hilarious and romantic crises.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19115 in DVD
• Brand: THURMAN,UMA
• Released on: 2001-04-17
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the most memorably offbeat romantic comedies of the 1990s begins when a talk-radio veterinarian named Abby (Janeane Garofalo) takes a call from Brian (Ben Chaplin), the owner of a roller-skating Great Dane. Brian is intrigued by Abby's voice and asks if she'll agree to meet him. Insecure about her looks and her nonexistent love life, Abby agrees, but describes herself as a tall blonde, then begs her attractive neighbor Noelle (played by Uma Thurman) to meet with Brian in her place. The ensuing case of switched identity is complicated when Noelle takes a liking to Brian who, of course, thinks she is Abby. This confusion gains comedic momentum when Abby safely plays herself on the radio and in a long, hilariously seductive phone call with Brian, but by now the situation has grown hopelessly complex, and Abby has to find a way to reveal herself without disappointing Brian. Many viewers rightly complained that the movie relies on the assumption that Abby is unattractive, even though Garofalo is more attractive and appealing here than she'd been in several movies before and since. Still, this contemporary variation on Cyrano de Bergerac is a lightweight, good-natured surprise that values the quirks and foibles that make lovelorn romantics (including their pets) uniquely appealing. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

A sweet romance that won't make your teeth rot
With a few exceptions, I normally loathe formulaic romantic comedies. The Truth About... is as formulaic as they come. So what makes it so good?

Janeane Garofalo, for one. I've always enjoyed her humor and thought she was a babe, but she convincingly, understandingly conveys what it's like to believe you're ugly and unlovable. I was surprised she didn't get more, meatier roles after her wonderful turn in this movie.

Ben Chaplin, he of the Perpetual Puppy-Dog Eyes, is perfectly cast as the love interest. I would never in a million years have figured him for a leading man role, but he's so right as a smitten suitor, not entirely sure of what he's feeling or what his next move should be, but enjoying the wild ride anyway.

Even Uma Thurman gets to work her acting chops in a role parallelling Garofalo's, as a blonde model who just wants to be taken seriously. Her pastry scene with Chaplin is one of the most erotic I've ever watched.

The chemistry between the three is natural as can be, and even though the whole movie is clicheed, it never feels like it is. Don't look for anything deep here; it's simply a great movie.

Mixing up the formula
This movie is privvy to one of the weirdest gimmicks of all time -- what if the romantic lead were actually the side kick and the side kick the romantic lead. You take the normal, formulaic romantic comedy and intentionally and self-consciously cast contrarily so that Janeane Garofalo is the romantic lead and Uma Thurman is her side kick. Moreover, you make no attempt to hide Uma's beauty (remember "Pretty Woman" and Laura San Giocomo costumed to avoid us noticing her). In this case, the whole point is Noelle (Uma Thurman) is prettier than Abby (Janeane Garafalo). This is brought to a head by Brian (Ben Chaplin) who calls in to Abby's veterinary radio show and finds himself intrigued by the woman he speaks to on the telephone. The problem enters when Abby, thinking he would rather date Noelle, introduces Noelle as herself. This would be alright if this guy were a one night stand, but he is serious and real and wants the charming woman he met on the telephone. Even he begins to notice that Noelle (despite her obvious charms) is not that woman. In the only sex scene in the movie (conducted via telephone) Brian and Abby finally do come together, but her deception, born of insecurity, thwarts them. Finally it is Noelle who cracks, her love for Abby overcoming her lust for Brian and all is made right.

Wickedly ..... serious. I'll try to explain
Two of my absolute favorite women here - Janeane and Uma, so I enjoyed seeing it when it first came out. Then I watched it again last week. Wow what a difference eight years made in my perception.

Alot of humor is funny because there is some underlying truth. But have you ever heard the dead silence following the punch line because a joke struck a little too close to home?

Of all the thousands of actresses they could have picked,... they picked these two, who because they personify so perfectly the sterotypes that are supposed to make this movie so funny..., I didn't laugh as much as I had the first time.

Here are two fabulous women, Jeanane and Uma, who contribute to the life experience of the rest of us here on the planet simply because they exist. Due in part to their humanity and vulnerability, they are gifted actresses (and brillint comedienne and stunning model). But they are also people who I suspect in real life, because of something as arbitrary as the exterior contours of their bodies, also probably suffer because of these external realities.

I know its supposed to be a comedy, but I couldn't help but think about the real life experiences of women like these. Sure I laughed when it was funny, like when Jeanane looks up after the idiot guy breaks her violin bow (who does deadpan, sarcastic, and angst better than Janeane?), and when Uma makes the guy fall off his bike. But I couldn't help but empathize with both women. Sure the ending is sweet, if totally unrealistic. You hope for both women that they will find quality men who understand them, and are worthy of them. But in a movie with "The Truth About..." in its title, you know what the truth really is.

Five stars because I enjoyed it. I wish I could find more of Jeanane in a comedy setting, she is absolutely brilliant, unique, and wonderful (and hot - the phone sex was amazing!). Uma is marvelous, and I hope she does less action work in the future, so her gorgeous personality can come out like I think it did in this movie.

The characters end as friends because they were loyal to each other - the foundation of a great relationship. This was my happy ending (which occured ten or fifteen minutes before the romantic one)!