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In the outrageous romantic comedy The Ugly Truth, Gerard Butler plays a gruff, boorish TV host who sets out to expose the cold, hard truth about men, women, and relationships. Of course, anyone who’s ever been in a relationship or two can tell you that the truth ain’t always pretty—so I suppose it’s fitting that the movie ain’t pretty, either.
Katherine Heigl co-stars as Abby Richter, a straight-laced morning TV producer who’s struggling to keep her show on the air, despite its dismal ratings. In an attempt to spice things up a bit, the station’s management hires Mike Chadway (Butler), host of The Ugly Truth, a crude and totally offensive public access show, in which Mike repeatedly tells women that the key to getting a guy is showing more skin and less restraint.
Abby objects to the change, but Mike’s outrageous behavior—his Jell-O-wrestling twins and his blunt discussions about the anchors’ sex lives—gives the show’s ratings a shocking boost. So Abby agrees to put Mike’s theories to the test by following his advice with her hot new neighbor, Colin (Eric Winter). But when his advice works—and the relationship blossoms—Mike starts wishing that his coaching hadn’t been quite so successful.
Romantic comedies, as a genre, have never really been celebrated for their depth or originality. They’re typically cute and fluffy, with cliché characters, a formulaic plot, and a predictable, happily-ever-after ending. But if there’s one thing to be said for The Ugly Truth, it’s that it’s definitely an original. Unfortunately, though, that’s not because the story is surprising or because the characters are particularly realistic or relatable. It’s because The Ugly Truth is quite possibly the most superficial chick flick ever made.
It’s no real surprise that the story is completely predictable: girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl starts seeing someone else, boy gets sad and jealous, girl suddenly realizes that boy might not be so bad after all…and, well, you know the rest. It’s been done before (over and over again, in fact), but that doesn’t mean that it can’t still be done relatively well. This time, however, it’s all so formulaic that it feels flat and tired and (despite numerous attempts to shock the audience) dull.
The characters little more than exaggerated clichés—the workaholic who can’t get a date and the foul-mouthed chauvinist who’s really just shielding his fragile heart. In fact, they’re all so exaggerated that none of them seem the least bit human. The men are all brainless Neanderthals, and the women are all cold, bitter, and ridiculously horny. And, really, the ultimate goal for any of them is simply to get laid.
The most surprising thing about The Ugly Truth is that it was written by three women—because it feels more like a guy’s parody of a chick flick. There’s no real romance in this romantic comedy—just hormones. And no matter how gorgeous Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl may be, The Ugly Truth is still one ugly movie.
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