Like many others living under the pandemic, I have scoured Netflix and watched dozens of movies, binging through many series, including Tiger King, Mindhunter and Animal Kingdom.
I feel like we have pretty much seen everything possible and our backup plan is a great series of mini-documentaries from ESPN called 30 for 30. They are all incredible and I highly encourage you to check them out. I am also wildly anticipating the upcoming season 4 of the Crown.
I know some people who watch the same movie more than once. I can’t do that. I did, however ,come across an old movie recently that I did watch when it came out back in 1996 and, for some reason, I watched it again. It is called The Truth about Cats and Dogs. It stars Janeane Garofalo, who plays Dr. Abby Barnes a veterinarian who hosts a radio show in which people call in with their animal questions. Also starring is Uma Thurman, who plays Noelle. In the movie, she is a tall, thin, blond bombshell — basically what she is in real life.
Spoiler alert: One of the callers to the show is Brian (played by Ben Chaplin), a handsome dog owner who has some questions for the vet. After talking with and listening to her, and being a regular fan of her segment, he ends up asking her out on a date. Abby agrees, but her lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem take over. When they pick the place to meet, he asks what she looks like, to which she replies, “Tall and blond.” Of course, we know she is short and brunette.
Abby’s friend Noelle (Uma Thurman) reluctantly agrees to pretend to be Abby and go on the date. The smart ,confident vet/radio host just couldn’t bare to bring herself to show Brian what she looked like. so she gave up the opportunity to meet him. She pretty much handed the handsome man to her friend on a silver platter.
Of course, this being a romantic comedy, many cute and silly missteps ensue and Noelle can tell that, deep down, Brian truly should be with Abby.
There is a scene in which Brian (a budding photographer) is doing a photo shoot with both Abby and Noelle (at this point, Abby is pretending to be someone else). Uma Thurman is no stranger to the camera and certainly knows how to work it, but when it comes to the real Abby, something unexplainable is building between the photographer and his subject. It’s called chemistry.
When the truth finally comes out, Brian is angry at being the brunt of the prank and kicks them both to the curb. He is hurt and feels like they played with his feelings. Of course, a 1990s romantic comedy won’t disappoint and, in the end, Brian ends up finding his way back to Abby and ultimately falls in love with the right woman.
While watching this movie unfold, my husband noted that, in his opinion, he found Abby/Garofalo more attractive than Noelle/Thurman. Then again, perhaps he said that because I am also a short brunette.
Sometimes I see men and women getting so caught up in height and weight that they very well may be missing out on their perfect match. Yes, Thurman is a head turner to many, but in this movie, it wasn’t the fashion model who got the guy; it was Abby, who had the whole package — cute, short, smart, funny and caring. It was everything Brian really wanted.
One thing that stood out to me the most about Garofalo’s character, Abby, was that as she started gaining more confidence, she actually started looking more beautiful. Confidence does that. When you feel good about yourself, it shows.
Maybe some ladies out there have their sights set on Ryan Reynolds, when in fact it’s really Tom Hanks who would be a better fit. But that’s another movie. If you are open to finding out who your perfect match might be, contact me by email at holmes@wheretheheartis.ca.
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