The Ugly Truth (2009)
July 11, 2023 5:59 PM - Subscribe
An uptight television producer takes control of a morning show segment on modern relationships hosted by a misogynistic man.
Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a lovelorn TV producer who, despite a long and arduous search for the perfect mate, is hopelessly single. The battle of the sexes heats up when her employers team her up with Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), an opinionated TV celebrity who plans to put Abby through the wringer to prove his own theories about what makes men and women tick.
Caroline Siede: And while you’d think that would at least allow The Ugly Truth to explore an arc in which Mike reforms his ways while Abby learns to loosen up, it’s mostly just an exercise in watching Abby embarrass herself for 96 minutes until she eventually falls into Mike’s arms out of resignation more than anything else. Rather than have Mike mature, the film has his on-air replacement actively advocate rape so that Mike at least looks better by comparison.
Joanna Hunkin: How the film warranted an R16 rating is a mystery, as Richter is the type of perky girl-next-door that says "effing" as an actual word. Then there's Scotsman Butler, who struggles with both American accent and straight face as Mike Chadway, a dating guru and guest commentator on Richter's TV show.
To its credit, the film doesn't try to redeem its characters and have them magically transform into people they're not. Rather, it's happy to fall back on another favourite cliche - opposites attract. That might be giving a little too much away, except there's nothing about this film you haven't seen a hundred times before.
In fact, the only surprise here is that the misogynistic screenplay was written by three females. Now that really is ugly.
Andrea Chase: The wonderful thing about Gerard Butler is that his puckish animal magnetism can almost carry a clunker like THE UGLY TRUTH. A putative romantic comedy about the fundamental differences between men and women, it reduces both genders to emotional cripples while failing to find any humor in the situation.
Trailer
Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a lovelorn TV producer who, despite a long and arduous search for the perfect mate, is hopelessly single. The battle of the sexes heats up when her employers team her up with Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), an opinionated TV celebrity who plans to put Abby through the wringer to prove his own theories about what makes men and women tick.
Caroline Siede: And while you’d think that would at least allow The Ugly Truth to explore an arc in which Mike reforms his ways while Abby learns to loosen up, it’s mostly just an exercise in watching Abby embarrass herself for 96 minutes until she eventually falls into Mike’s arms out of resignation more than anything else. Rather than have Mike mature, the film has his on-air replacement actively advocate rape so that Mike at least looks better by comparison.
Joanna Hunkin: How the film warranted an R16 rating is a mystery, as Richter is the type of perky girl-next-door that says "effing" as an actual word. Then there's Scotsman Butler, who struggles with both American accent and straight face as Mike Chadway, a dating guru and guest commentator on Richter's TV show.
To its credit, the film doesn't try to redeem its characters and have them magically transform into people they're not. Rather, it's happy to fall back on another favourite cliche - opposites attract. That might be giving a little too much away, except there's nothing about this film you haven't seen a hundred times before.
In fact, the only surprise here is that the misogynistic screenplay was written by three females. Now that really is ugly.
Andrea Chase: The wonderful thing about Gerard Butler is that his puckish animal magnetism can almost carry a clunker like THE UGLY TRUTH. A putative romantic comedy about the fundamental differences between men and women, it reduces both genders to emotional cripples while failing to find any humor in the situation.
Trailer
I've never seen this movie, and when I read the blurb I assumed it was an indie horror movie on Shudder.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 11:15 AM on July 12, 2023
posted by kittens for breakfast at 11:15 AM on July 12, 2023
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posted by Carillon at 6:01 PM on July 11, 2023 [1 favorite]