Movie: The Ugly Truth

A classic battle-of-the-sexes tale, “The Ugly Truth” attempts to pull the mask of pretense away from modern relationships to reveal what women are really like (too controlling) and what men really want (oral sex).

In this raunchy R-rated romantic comedy, Katherine Heigl plays Abby, a dynamic morning-television talk-show producer in sleepy Sacramento. She prides herself on being able to find instant solutions to any problem, except, of course, her own sad status as a singleton.

In a variation on the standard “meet-cute,” Abby’s cat accidentally steps on her TV remote (!) and she stumbles upon Mike (Gerard Butler), a repellent guy who hosts a dating-advice show on public-access TV called “The Ugly Truth.” Outraged by his vulgar and sexist commentary, she calls into his program only to be shot down in flames. The very next day she is dismayed to learn he’s been hired to help pump up the ratings of her soon-to-be-extinct show.

Beautiful Katherine Heigl looks better than the plot of "The Ugly Truth."

Some lively antagonism ensues as, on a dare, Abby agrees to let Mike coach her, Cyrano de Bergerac-style, on how to land the man of her dreams.

While the bawdy dialogue and scenarios offer a few big laughs, there’s not nearly enough rapid-fire witty banter. Nor can we see any genuine chemistry between the svelte yet attractively goofy Heigl and her pudgy, macho love-hate interest Butler, who spends much of the movie struggling to obscure his warm Scottish brogue under a raspy, faux American accent. I don’t mind a ruggedly handsome guy, but Butler’s facial scruff looked like it smelled nasty.

Everything about “The Ugly Truth,” from its tone, to the acting, and above all the direction and storyline, was inconsistent. Apart from a couple of wistful moments of contemplation of their rival, the story offers no plausible reason why this warring pair ends up falling for each other in the obligatory rom-com manner. Especially when Mike’s already claimed that he always chooses lust over love “because blue balls last a few hours but a broken heart lasts for years.”

Eric Winter and Katherine Heigl try romance in "The Ugly Truth."

I was surprised that this screenplay was written by three women (Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith), because they portray men as sex-obsessed predators and women as blithering idiots. The story also gets most of its comedic mileage from two scenes expressly designed to humiliate their leading lady, including a scene that recalls the famous “I’ll have what she’s having,” episode from “When Harry Met Sally.”

Following the film’s happy conclusion comes the end credits song “Right Round” by Flo Rida – a fairly explicit tune about men getting BJs. How fitting.

Rated: R
Stars: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Eric Winter
Director: Robert Luketic
Official Site: http://www.thetruthisntpretty.com/

[Pauline Adamek is a Hollywood-based film, theatre and food critic who files for “FilmInk Australia,” the “LA Daily News,” “Sun Community Newspapers” as well as various websites under the “nom du net” Max Million.]