Abby is a vet with her own radio talk show who answers call-in questions related to animals. When Brian (Ben Chaplin) rings with a query about his dog, they both begin to flirt. Soon after the radio broadcast he calls her private line and asks what she looks like. She claims she's a tall six-foot blonde beauty (basically) and soon he wants to meet her.
Abby gets her friend Noelle (Uma Thurman) to pose as herself so that Brian won't be disappointed. She continues to communicate with Brian via the telephone but every time he wants to see her, she has to have Noelle go out with him.
This may sound like a rather silly plot, but it's well-executed. As a friendly, simple romantic comedy, it delivers exactly what it is meant to. The performances are fine - Chaplin is okay, Garofalo is annoying as always but suits the character, and Thurman plays the ditz with a heart of gold. Clichés? Yeah. But they work.
The only scene I really had a problem with in this film was a sequence in which Abby and Brian participate in phone sex. It's kind of a clever idea but seemed, to me, rather awkward and out of place in such an otherwise family-friendly, sweet-natured comedy. Having sudden innuendos and hands reaching into pants wasn't what I expected, and I imagine it might present an awkward situation for families viewing the film with their children. I'm not a prude but I do think this was unnecessary given the film's general content and target audience.
Otherwise it's an inoffensive and gentile comedy.
Abby gets her friend Noelle (Uma Thurman) to pose as herself so that Brian won't be disappointed. She continues to communicate with Brian via the telephone but every time he wants to see her, she has to have Noelle go out with him.
This may sound like a rather silly plot, but it's well-executed. As a friendly, simple romantic comedy, it delivers exactly what it is meant to. The performances are fine - Chaplin is okay, Garofalo is annoying as always but suits the character, and Thurman plays the ditz with a heart of gold. Clichés? Yeah. But they work.
The only scene I really had a problem with in this film was a sequence in which Abby and Brian participate in phone sex. It's kind of a clever idea but seemed, to me, rather awkward and out of place in such an otherwise family-friendly, sweet-natured comedy. Having sudden innuendos and hands reaching into pants wasn't what I expected, and I imagine it might present an awkward situation for families viewing the film with their children. I'm not a prude but I do think this was unnecessary given the film's general content and target audience.
Otherwise it's an inoffensive and gentile comedy.