Mon copain Buddy

One of the worst films I have seen in some time, this movie was all the more disappointing because it missed the opportunity to say something very important about man's relationship with animals.

There is almost no value to this film as it stands. It's never explained why Rene Russo's character wants to keep so many animals and turn them into humans, or why her husband, by all appearances completely sane, puts up with it. One meaningless scene follows another, none of them with enough humor or pathos to merit watching.

My Aunt Gertrude did own a gorilla named Buddy, but she also owned another named Massa, and they combined the lives of the 2 together.

First let me give you the true ending, Buddy was sold to the Ringling Bros circus, his name was changed to Gargantua, Massa was sold to the Philedelphia Zoo, and lived to be the oldest living Gorilla in captivity.

The story was hollywoodized to the extreme. If they had stuck to the facts, maybe it would have been better.

Gertrude also raised prize winning Saint Bernards, having over 100 on her estate in Brooklyn. She won the Westminster Dog show blue ribbon 5 times in a row. She helped to develop the "modern" pet foods. Since before then people just fed their pets scraps.

Also just one more minor note, my family is Jewish, yet in the movie, she wore a cross, and as far as I know, no-body in my family was paid or had given permission for the movie to come out.

I just watched Buddy for the first time on TV. I thought it was great! I am a big animal lover and yes, I too treat them more like my children than animals.

Buddy is a movie that will delight animal lovers. I really felt that Rene Russo portrayed the bond between her and the gorilla. The loved each other.

When Buddy ran free at the fair, it was the frightened screams he was met with that frightened him. It was just cruel when people threw things at him. It very much saddened me when the inevitable happened. I cried and cried. I do not understand anyone who does not love this movie. The only thing I can think of, is that if you don't like this movie, you don't like animals.

After growing dogs and chimpanzees, the eccentric millionaire Gertrude 'Trudy' Lintz (Rene Russo) raises a sick baby gorilla in her mansion as if it were a child, calling him "Buddy". When the animal grows, her husband, Dr. Bill Lintz (Robbie Coltrane), advises her to send it to its habitat or to a zoo. However, Trudy loves Buddy and believes she can keep it at home. After an exposition in the Chicago World's Fair, Buddy has a bad experience with the public and becomes violent, not obeying Trudy's orders anymore. "Buddy" is a reasonable family entertainment, more indicated for children. The story is not bad and focuses mainly in the relationship between Trudy and Buddy, but does not develop the characters, the place, the time. When and where the story happens? Why Trudy does not have a baby and has such abnormal behavior, preferring animals to children? How far this movie is based on a true story? With regard to the film itself, the production is not bad, but there is not "heart" in the direction and interpretation. This type of story is usually very well developed by Disney studios. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Buddy"

it seems be the film for animals lovers. and only for theme. because , against the premise than it reflects real facts, the story is far to be interesting or plausible, the end too sweet and Rene Russo in a role for she has a huge effort to do coherent. sure, the eccentric rich people stories are a good subject but it is not comfortable to answer yourself why the director has need by Rene Russo, Robbie Coltrane or Alan Cumming for his film. a noble message like this could be better with not great actors. the only good point - the performance of Irma P. Hall. short, a film with very precise target. only a fan of animals can ignore the errors of logic and the too obvious message and could discover the purpose of film, out of a sentimental story about incompatibility between different species.