The Ugly Truth

[Lazy Boy]

http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/W/G/T/theuglytruthposter2.jpg

Directed by Robert Luketic

Written by Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith

Genre: Comedy/Romance

Plot: A romantically challenged morning show producer (Heigl) is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent (Butler) to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result.

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler

Rated R for sexual content and language.

Runtime: 101 minutes

Heigl's brassy attitude combine with Butler's foray into romantic comedy...mismatched pair, or will they have chemistry? Inquiring minds want to know...I'm not one of them.

[ilovemovies]

This actually looks like a romantic comedy with bite surprisingly. Looking forward to this. It actuallys pretty funny.

[labialover]

I surprised to see that this was gonna be rated R. Still not sure about it though.

[Bourne101]

Not sure about this one. Doesn't look great, but the R rating has me semi-intrigued. I'll wait until some reviews come out before I decide if I will see it.

[Tweek]

Two of the most boring actors I've ever seen "gracing" the screen together? Pass.

[BakeTheMooCow]

I've been subjected to the trailer for this the last 3 times I've been to an R-rated movie (Public Enemies, Bruno, The Hurt Locker) and I think it looks like absolute garbage. I can't even stand to look at the screen when the trailer is on. The leads are boring and the jokes are all about stereotypes about men and women and nothing else. Fuck this.

[bsquared318]

No summer would be complete without the obligatory romantic comedy. Notable this summer was the pleasant surprise that was “The Proposal.” While “The Ugly Truth” was perhaps even more formulaic than “The Proposal,” it is just as fun to watch everything fall into place.

Abby (Katherine Heigl) is a producer of a Sacramento morning news show with sagging ratings. She has strong ideals about the way her news is presented, and is horrified when the raunchy and crude Mike (Gerard Butler) is hired to help boost their ratings. He firmly believes that men are after nothing but sex, and women shouldn’t expect anything more. After his first appearance on the show, their ratings skyrocket. After meeting an orthopedic surgeon named Colin, Abby believes she has found the man who satisfies everything on her checklist. Mike convinces her to help her “get this guy,” provided she gives him a bit more respect. If he fails, he’ll quit. Abby can’t lose.

Why a news show that airs before most people are even out of bed would be so concerned about its ratings is beyond me, but I wasn’t expecting another “Broadcast News.” The three female screenwriters stretch reality a lot, but that’s okay. This movie’s main goal is to make you have fun and laugh, and it succeeds at doing just that.

Stealing every scene, Butler knows exactly how to strike the perfect balance between crude and sympathetic, while Heigl is almost too similar to Sandra Bullock from “The Proposal.” Her comedic timing is either a hit or a complete miss. There are multiple scenes where she jumps around like a preppy cheerleader who was just asked out by the high school quarterback. Scenes like these would fit better on a sitcom, even more fittingly show as Heigl’s role in TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy” is the main driving force behind her recognition. The supporting cast fulfils their job as being simply fodder for more jokes, and a brief cameo by CBS’ Craig Ferguson is quite enjoyable.

In many cases, the humor is spot-on, though at times it goes stale. Heigl and Butler don’t have a fantastic chemistry. They either shine together or they don’t. At times their banter is a joy to watch though at times a bit repetitive, while other times it seems like they’re just reading from cue cards without any emotion whatsoever.
“The Ugly Truth” is rated R for sexual content and language, though at times one may wonder if the MPAA slapped this rating on the wrong movie. Generally speaking, this is a light R-rated outing. However, when the crudities do finally show up, we find it hard to believe that three women wrote the script.

Sex talk is upfront, without having to be watered down as it may in other films. Many jokes are hilariously inventive, while others seem like something you’d hear from your average middleschooler. It’s realistic and humorous, though it does at times get unnecessarily crude, redundant, and over the top. There’s a very humorous scene where Mike uses monkeys to explain men’s animalistic tendencies. It’s reminiscent of the elephants from “The Love Guru,” only it’s actually funny this time.

The biggest gripe I have about this film is the ending. Throughout the film, we watch as Abby enjoys romantic outings with Colin, but we still know that she’s going to fall for Mike. Just when we’re convinced that both have learned that relationships aren’t about just sex, the ending scene shows us that sex is all they care about. That’s just, well, stupid. The disappointing nature of this scene is augmented by the fact that the credits roll to Flo Rida’s “When You Go Down,” a song that was already used in “The Hangover,” and to a more comedic effect at that.

7/10

[phelonious]

I also liked this. This is basically your standard teen make-over rom-com. Here, they've cast a thirtyish actress and a fortyish actor and put the focus on the girl.

I think they weren't crude enough. They should have pushed the envelop a little more. There are tons of gross-out misbehaving male movies. How many about gross-out female flicks are there? Example:

(the vibrating panties, they could have gone for a more provocative selection in adult toys)

I would have liked Heigl's character to have had more of an arc, starting off as someone kind of a kind passive and prissy and ending the movie up as more, uh, ballsy.

8/10

[anakinsrise]

After watching (500) Days of Summer,a romantic comedy,so original,and unpredictable,its definitely hard to watch a rom-com,that is the opposite of the aforementioned.Fortunately The Ugly Truth's 2 main stars seem like they're having fun and are game for whatever so this helps TUT rise above its basic foundation.I must admit i couldnt help but compare TUT to the 2001's Someone Like You.A little scene rom-com starring Ashley Judd, and Hugh Jackman.
Abby (Katherine Heigl) is an uptight local morning show television producer,so uptight her dates seem more like business meetings.
Mike who has his own manly man cable access show (Gerard Butler) is gruff,and chauvinistic,he's brought to the station to boost ratings,the 2 immediately butt heads,but of course ratings soar,and Abby warms to Mike a little especially when she seeks his advice and counseling to snag her "perfect" next door neighbor Colin(Eric Winter) Some slapstick moments are woven in the standout being the vibrating panties.
Heigl's and Butler's scenes together,are cute,fun,and sexy.Along with these fun moments there are scenes when the two peel back each other's layers,and see that they're really not as bad as they seem to each other.Adding to the fun are Cheryl Hines and John Michael Higgins as married morning show hosts Larry and Georgia.
TUT is not a perfect romantic comedy,(and i must add i hated the awful green screen work in the movie)but its fun and it also provides one of the greatest answers to the question that pops up in almost every relationship,"Why do you Love me?
Scale of 1-10 an 8

[dellamorte dellamore]

i wouldn't see this if my life was threatened , looks like absolute garbage

[razgriz21]

Katherine Heigl is overrated and something about her just annoys me.

[Bourne101]

The Ugly Truth - 5/10

Not half bad. There are a lot of jokes that don't work and it's predictable as hell, but there are also quite a few laugh out loud moments and it's very entertaining. Heigl and Butler are both great and have great chemistry. Butler is surprisingly good in this type of role considering past macho type roles in such films as 300 and RocknRolla. So while it's no comedy of the year, there are enough laughs and solid performances to make it worth a rental or cable watch.

[Mystique963]

Wow, I am ashamed to say that this movie was the best ab workout that I've had in awhile. I laughed really hard in certain parts (the scene involving a pair of underwear and a remote had me rolling)

Just a nice, mindless way to spend two hours. 8/10

[redfiretruck]

this was surprisingly good- both katherine and gerard went up in my book after seeing it =)