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Rene Russo, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming, Irma P. Hall, Peter Anthony Elliott ... see more see more... , Peter Elliott , Paul Reubens , Michelan Sisti , Leif Tilden , Rob Tygner , Mak Wilson , Peter Hurst , Lynn Robertson Bruce , Mark Sealey , Star Townshend , John Aylward , Mimi Kennedy , Peter Elliot

A lot of people like to say that their pets think they're human, but Trudy Lintz (Rene Russo) has taken this notion to a new level: she likes to treat her pets as if they were human. A wealthy New Yor... read more read more...ker, Trudy has a menagerie of animals living in her apartment, including dogs, horses, ducks, and four chimpanzees whom she dresses in human clothing and treats as if they were her own children. Trudy's husband (Robbie Coltrane) is fully aware of his wife's eccentricities but has learned to live with them. However, this gets a bit more difficult when Trudy is persuaded to adopt Buddy, an infant gorilla. Buddy is a tiny creature in poor health when Trudy first meets him, but with love and care she nurses the gorilla back to health. However, the rejuvenated Buddy starts growing into adulthood, and while the chimps are small and docile enough to wear human clothing and obey Trudy's instructions, Buddy becomes a several-hundred-pound adult who hears the call of the wild too clearly to do what Trudy wants, which becomes painfully obvious during a trip to the World's Fair. Jim Henson's Creature Shop helped create the special-effects animals used in the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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37% liked it

8,603 ratings

Critics

25% liked it

20 critics

PG, 1 hr. 23 min.

Directed by: Caroline Thompson

Release Date: June 6, 1997

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DVD Release Date: February 6, 2001

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Flixster Reviews (163)

  • hypathio7
    January 11, 2012
    hypathio7
    Cute animals make for a passable family film. The animatronic baby gorilla and gorilla costume worn by an actor as Buddy matures are believable effects. Rene Russo is a oddball woman of the 30's who feels more at home being a mother to her apes than interacting with other humans ... read morein society. And yet it is really a very human coming of age story. It is a very familiar plot with a mother raising an orphan, neglecting her other children and struggling to let the favorite out of the nest, while the orphan son struggles with acceptance, hormones and finding his own place in the world. The movie has some heartwarming moments, but also a lot of hokey scenes and dialogue.
  • ileo
    December 21, 2007
    ileo
    Truly cute movie!
  • gardenia54peach
    April 1, 2008
    gardenia54peach
    Great family movie...touching scenes between Rene Russo's character and the gorilla "Buddy" whom she took care from the time he was a baby until he became a full grown gorilla.
  • nanoqna
    January 2, 2007
    nanoqna
    i liked how the people had to learn how to deal with this animal. its kind of scary and will probably scare little kids but not too much. the only bad guy in this movie is the gorilla which is cool! not a lot of movies are like this and if you want to think about how animals and ... read morehumans are sort of kind of alike yous hould watch it!
  • KentAron
    June 15, 2006
    KentAron
    It was nice to see the Jim Henson company working again, but this movie was no the one they should have gone with... especially since the only real puppet was the gorilla...

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Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
USA Today

Stifled by quaint Masterpiece Theatre-for-tykes pretensions, Buddy only comes alive when its quartet of real-life chimps go ape.

Staci Layne Wilson
December 31, 2004
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com

Click to read the article. Full Review

Michael Dequina
December 21, 2004
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

Rene Russo provides a welcome dose of starpower, but there is only so much acting she can do opposite a guy in a gorilla suit. Full Review

Jon Popick
April 9, 2004
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy

Light entertainment.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
February 27, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A fine family film filled with rich lessons about animal and human interaction. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

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June 1, 2007
Variety

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Jeff Strickler
November 6, 2002
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

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April 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

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January 1, 2000
Washington Post

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Buddy Trivia

  • Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tinman in The Wizard of Oz. Why did the part have to be re-cast?  Answer »
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