The Ugly Truth

The Ugly Truth, 2009
Director: Robert Luketic
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Bree Turner


Stage: Home theatre, a nice pre-ny evening with one of my friends - she insisted on seeing this.

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


Preps: I have seen this and enjoyed the irony in the piece one time a year or two ago. After that I have made several refferals to the piece in this blog. And last week one of my best female friends comes and wants to see this, because it's supposed to be great. Heh, I agree on seeing this lesson-full piece again.


Reality: The Ugly Truth tells us that men are on this world not to be understood, but to be teased and flirted with. Don't look for love, look for sex and lust, it's cheaper and easier to find - would be one of the lessons learned in the movie. Gerard Butler casts as the stud, knowing all there is to know about women. Similar role as Mel Gibson played in What women want, only it's the other way around. In the sense, that Gerard is the bad boy all women hate and need still to cope with.
Unfortunately, he falls in love with Katherine (Abby), the producer of the show he's playing in. The irony and black humour, where this piece started (and should end with) turns into some Hollywood cheesy last third of the piece.

Apart from the typical ending, the movie offers a few truly amazing places to laugh and to learn from simple (yet truthful) lessons. It's really hard to judge the ways women respond to this man and yet you try to follow the guidelines. The base would be that you need to pretend to be a sexual goddess and you will be able to get anything in the world. Sadly enough, men like sexual goddesses and unfortunately not women as they are for real. Every now and then the bubble bursts and woman shows herself as she really is and for that she's punished with a break up or sad evenings back at home. But, playing the game for a lifetime ensures you male escort. The question here would be - is it absolutely necessary to have someone, if you have him under these conditions? The truth reveals as she doesn't want to pretend.

Fortunately, the movie is Hollywood-ish, therefore the punishment comes also with a prize, as Butler steps in as the mushy man he once judged online. Nothing more than an average romance in this piece. However, you will love some of the lessons, I was cracking of laughter in some funny scenes.



My personal rating: 6,5 (you will laugh so hard at some scenes that your stomach will ache. Apart from that, a pretty average piece with a typical US ending)


The Ugly Truth on IMDB