May 5, 1996 -- "The Truth about Cats and Dogs" is a funny movie about modern relationships that introduces us to a very talented new actress. It is always nice to see new talent in the movies and I sure hope that Janeane Garofalo has a bright future in film. Garofalo, who plays a vetraniarn hosting a radio talk show providing the title of the film, is funny and charming.

Garofalo is one of those stand-up comics, who, like Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, seem to be able to slide effortlessly into a film career. It bolsters my theory that stand-up comics are basically just actors making their living differently than most actors. Anyway, some of them sure have what it takes to be film stars.

I've seen several stand-up comics, including George Burns, make an easy transition to film, but I've never heard of an actor making the transition to stand-up comedy. My guess is that being a stand-up comic is much tougher.

But, I digress. Garofalo is wonderful in this film. She portrays Abbey, a veterinarian with low self-esteem who is also intelligent, funny and defensive. The story is a take-off on the classic tale of Cyrano de Bergerac. A caller on her call-in show asks her out and she agrees to meet him with no intention of doing so. She describes herself as tall, thin and blonde, when she is actually short and dark.

When the caller, Brian (Ben Chaplin), shows up at the station, Abbey persuades Noelle (Uma Thurman) who fits the description to be her stand-in, and the comedy of errors begins. The situation even gets more messy when Noelle begins to fall for the same man. Thurman, by the way is quite good in the role of Noelle, Abbey's ditsy model neighbor.

The story is obviously lightweight, but the dialogue, by writer Audrey Wells is sharp, and the performances are effective. The film is rated PG-13, but there is a kinky phone sex scene that seems weirdly out of place in this otherwise fluffy film. This film rates a B.

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