Buddy is a 1997 character drama based on the life story of a socialite who adopted a baby gorilla into her family. Gertrude "Trudy" Lintz (Rene Russo) was a wealthy New York heiress whose love for animals led to her opening her family estate to a menagerie of animals. She favored the chimpanzees that she treated like human beings. They dressed in expensive clothes, ate at the table and even learned to mix drinks. Trudy and her husband, Dr. Bill Lintz (Robbie Coltrane) bring the chimps to the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago and delight the crowds with their abilities. Yet eventually Trudy faces the reality that her beloved "children" are indeed animals. She favors Buddy, her gorilla, but as he grows to full size he becomes a physical danger to the household. Now Trudy must find a way to prepare Buddy for the animal world after a life in the human realm.moreless