Title: The Ugly Truth
Starring: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Bree Turner.
Director: Robert Luketic
Certificate: 15
Running: 96 minutes
Released: 08/02/10
Format: Blu-ray and DVD
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Abby Richter, a romantically challenged TV news show producer is tutored in the ways of dating by Mike Chadway, a chauvinistic colleague as he attempts to prove his theories on relationships.
The Ugly Truth is that this is an ugly film in possible everyway. The acting is terrible, the direction is lifeless, the storyline is entirely implausible, the language is crude and the situations are ridiculous.
Katherine Heigl (27 Dresses) and Gerard Butler (Law Abiding Citizen) both produce simply terrible performances and together they are quite hideous. They have zero chemistry. Heigl was passable in 27 Dresses and in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up but here she sneers and fake-smiles her way through proceedings while Butler who was preposterous in both Law Abiding Citizen and Gamer fairs little better here.
The script is awful. It’s often crude, seldom funny, and basically just poor. Heigl is playing a TV news producer but the things that she does in this film simply would not happen. I could not suspend my disbelief past the opening ten minutes. She says and does things that are not befitting her position. Butler’s character is even worse, his on-air antics would not be seen as quirky, they would not increasing ratings, rather, they would be seen as totally unprofessional and he would be sacked, whilst viewers complained or turned off altogether.
The plot outline is painfully obvious from the outset. Is there no originality left in the movie business? Why are all rom-coms the same? Why do the characters always have to go through the exact same motions – we are complete opposites, we hate each other, we end up overcoming some difficulties together, we see that we have some things in common, we fall in love. It’s sickening.
The only positive thing that I can tell you is that this film does look nice on blu-ray. The image is crisp and clear and the colours are good. Apart from that, this film is ugly, ugly, ugly – and that’s the truth.
