Eddie, a struggling animal trainer and widowed father, is an assistant animal trainer to Sal DeMarco, an untalented, egocentric animal show host. Both men have been hired to train the animals for a film called ''Frizzy, The Bichon Frise'': Sal as the dog handler, and Eddie is given only the responsibility of training the lizard. When Frizzy is kidnapped, Sal quickly claims that Eddie was responsible for the dog handling. Eddie is promptly fired. The director refuses to pay the ransom and decides to instead hold auditions for the new Frizzy.