Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
preppy-3
A radio DJ named Abby Barnes (Janeane Garofalo) conducts a live online show advising people about their pets. One day Brian (Ben Chaplin) calls for help. He gets it...but falls in love with her voice. He plans to meet her but she has low self-esteem so she gets her beautiful model neighbor (Uma Thurman) to pose as HER! Predictable complications follow and it leads to an insultingly stupid happy ending.I should hate this movie a LOT! The plot is stupid--these people are total idiots! Thurman or Garofalo's characters could have said something and stopped it immediately...but then there would be no movie. The complications that come up preventing them get dumber and dumber. Also the ending would NEVER happen in real life. So why am I giving it 7 stars? The three leads. They're great! They're attractive, give good performances and seem totally at ease with it. Also the script (basic plot aside) is funny full of great one-liners that the cast goes into with ease (only Chaplin seems a little unsure). There's also a steamy phone sex scene that was pretty risqué for a PG-13 movie (but it leads to a great punch line at the end). So the movie is stupid and predictable but I did like it. I give it a 7.
edwithmj
I found out about this film because Jewish Ben Chaplin from Game On was in it. Game On is a funny British sitcom and apparently he left because he wanted to break into Hollywood and star in this film. He failed thank God.The film is a very simple romantic comedy with Janeane Garofalo playing an ugly woman who uses her neighbour Uma Thurman to date Ben Chaplin because she thinks Ben Chaplin won't like her because she's ugly. The film is just bad for so many reasons. The plot is unbelievably predictable from the overtly slapstick bits to the serious mushy bits: ugh just that montage where all three of them are having fun and then the photograph bit. Those two scenes made me cringe! Janeane's character is sickeningly arrogant (and guessing from her role as stand-up "comedienne" and arch-feminist is in real life too). She claims that the film is "anti-feminist" when in fact it's just realistic. Men more often than not go for looks over personality. It's interesting to note her hypocrisy too. She'd been a feminist and "comedienne" for years before taking this role and then suddenly decides afterwards that the film was bad. I imagine she hated the idea and script of this film before it was released but she made sure she kept that quiet so she could get paid for this travesty of a film. I mean come on! She acted in it for Heaven's sake! What this film was really was anti-men if anything. It portrays men as stupid animals whose brains are in their groins with the men doing stupid things to attract the attention of Uma Thurman's character Noelle.There are other bad things about this film too like Ben Chaplin's character being the British man every American girl finds cute and Jamie Foxx being the token black best friend of Chaplin and of course Foxx had to try and mimic his accent a few times for good measure. Is that the best the script writers could come up with? Blimey they've never done that before except with every Hugh Grant and Dudley Moore film ever made. There's also a truly awful phone sex scene which is just grotesque and proves how cheap the film is. The other comments on here all say how Janeane Garofalo isn't ugly but is actually beautiful. Erm was I watching the same film as they were? She's certainly no looker and the only good thing about this film was that she was rightly cast as the ugly one. Although having said that, I fail to see the appeal of Uma Thurman as well: she's lanky and gaunt looking.I guarantee three things about this film if you've never watched it:You will know what the ending will be;You will find the phone sex scene painfully embarrassing and;You will be bored after ten minutes.Watch at your own peril.
Framescourer
I liked it but then I think I might have been ironing at the same time. This reworking of Cyrano de Bergerac/Roxanne is an utterly undemanding, formulaic romcom rescued from straight-to-video ignominy on its release by the sharp turn of Janeane Garofalo. Playing the Frasier of Pets, she finds herself caught in a love trap when insecurity leads her to pass her best friend (Uma Thurman) off as herself when a caller comes a-courtin'.This is an interesting film in the fascinating career of Ben Chaplin. An average British actor, he gave the Hollywood treadmill a shot with this film. He is unremarkable and his anonymity in studio productions is unsurprising on the basis of it, although he has appeared in substantial cameos in both the later Terence Malick films. Uma Thurman does a ditzy turn on autopilot and Michael Lehmann packages it all together competently. Icky phone sex though. 4/10
Amy Adler
Dr. Abby Barnes (Janeane Garofalo) is on the radio every day, giving advice on pet care with humor and smarts. But, in real life, she has a problem with her self-image, believing herself to be a bit too short and a bit too plump to attract men. One day, she "rescues" her beautiful neighbor, Noelle (Uma Thurman) from a verbal beating by her manager/boyfriend. Noelle is grateful and decides to drop in on Abby at the radio station, to thank her again. Meanwhile, a gentleman named Brian (Ben Chaplin), who recently called Abby's program to seek immediate help with a canine, is also coming to the broadcasting booth to extend HIS thanks. In truth, Brian is intrigued by Abby's wit and humor and wants to check her out. But, because Abby is so certain Brian will reject her as a woman, she hastily persuades Noelle to pretend that she is the on-air doctor. Naturally, Brian likes what he sees in the lovely Noelle and asks her out, much to Abby's discomfort. But, over the course of the next few weeks, Brian becomes thoroughly confused. Every time he talks with Abby on the phone, he is charmed by her personality but when he sees Abby/Noelle in person, he is struck by the fact that she appears to be somewhat "empty-headed" and intellectually challenged. How can this be, he wonders? Well, just wait until the secrets come out, dear Brian! This is a wonderful romantic comedy, one full of fun, insightfulness and daring. It asks the proverbial question, what is most important in the love between two people, their physical appearances or their minds? As Abby, Garofalo gives a great turn, for her mighty wit and intelligence comes through in every scene. Chaplin makes a very attractive love object while Thurman does a nice job, too, as the beautiful, desirable model who, nevertheless, has a dim bulb in the attic. The California setting is totally gorgeous while the costumes, especially Thurman's, are very well chosen. As for the script, it is zestfully and blissfully challenging and fun. The truth about this film, therefore, is most romcom lovers will adore it. Do make plans to see it soon.
