Review: The Ugly Truth

Plot: A relationship-challenged talk show producer (Katherine Heigl), is partnered with an outrageously chauvinistic correspondent (Gerard Butler) – who believes all romance essentially broils down to one thing- sex. Hi-jinx and predictable coupling ensues.

Review: I knew I was in trouble the second the opening credits began to roll, and that Katy Perry song that’s been used in every rom-com preview started to throd on the soundtrack. Great, I thought to myself- I hate it already, and I’ve got at least ninety minutes to go.

Suffice to say, things did not get better from there. Much has been made about how this is supposedly a hardcore, R-rated rom-com in the Judd Apatow tradition, but folks- let me assure you, Apatow would never, on his worst day, produce a film as stupid as this. Everybody in this film- from Katherine Heigl’s haughty, mega-bitch producer, to Gerard Butler’s cartoonishly boorish, man-child is as two dimensional and cardboard as can be.

Let’s get one thing straight- I have nothing against romantic comedies. Some of the greatest films ever made, like THE APARTMENT, SOME LIKE IT HOT, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, & BRINGING UP BABY are romantic comedies. Heck- all of Cameron Crowe’s movies fall into that genre, and (with the obvious exception of ELIZABETHTOWN), they are all great. No- what I have a problem with are the studio fluff, generic, `let`s make as much money opening weekend as we can before people realize this movie is shit` romantic comedies that have been flooding the market over the last few years. What do BRIDE WARS, 27 DRESSES, P.S I LOVE YOU, and HE`S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU have in common? Two things actually- they all suck, and they`ve all been hits.

I honestly don`t see the appeal. Sure- they may try to thrown in a few blow job jokes, and an R-rating to get in some of the fellas- but really, this is more of the same. Who are these movies made for? Women? If so, why don`t they see how they`re always portrayed as materialistic, domineering, borderline personality disorder cases like Heigl in this film? Don`t they get that all of these films are directed, written, or produced by men, that seemingly have nothing but contempt for their audience? At least, in this film, the men aren`t portrayed much better, as Butler’s character is a total asshole from beginning to end. The only truly likable person here is Kevin Connolly (and in a brief cameo- Craig Ferguson- who I hape was paid A LOT of money), who plays a guy that has the misfortune of being set up on a date with Heigl- and really, seems like the only character who lives on Planet Earth. Ok, ok, ok- I know this is supposed to be a comedy, but the film does not even have a single moment of truth or substance.

All due respect for Butler here folks- the guy is a hell of a performer. He kicks ass in action flicks, and probably even has the chops to pull off a decent comedic role, but this is not a good showcase for him. As for Heigl- let`s just say I`m not a fan. She was great in KNOCKED UP, but since then she`s done nothing but crap in films, and talked smack about the film that made her famous, and slagged off the writers on GREY`S ANATOMY- who, incidentally, made her a household name. She`s definitely not the most likable person to start with, so having her play such a self-absorbed, unlikable character is not going to win her many fans.

Still- I must admit, the audience I saw this with lapped it up, and I have no doubt that this film will turn a tidy profit. It`s just a real shame that this is what passes for a rom-com these days. Do yourself a favor- check out something really romantic like 500 DAYS OF SUMMER (but really- even the latest TRANSFORMERS 2 was more romantic than this), and avoid this at all costs.

Grade: 2/10