The Ugly Truth

The Ugly Truth stars Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy”, “Roswell”, Knocked Up) and Gerard Butler (Dear Frankie, Phantom of the Opera, 300, P.S. I Love You).

In Sacremento, CA., Abby (Heigl) is a successful, hard-working TV producer. She is amazing at her job, but conversely when it comes to relationships it is suffice to say that she sucks. She has a list of the perfect man in her mind and wants a man who’ll fit that list. She wants control in everything in her life, and is possibly that she’ll end up alone with her cat, (or that’s what she subconsciously thinks). Enter Mike (Butler) who is the absolute opposite of Abby’s dream guy and he runs a TV show called “The Ugly Truth” in a local channel in which he discusses the real relationships between men and woman.

Mike is rather obnoxious, especially to Abby, vulgar and talks his mind. He even calls Abby a lesbian without thinking of her feeling because that’s what he think she is and the man Abby looks for doesn’t exist, and that is the Ugly Truth. For him the truth is that men think with their penises and women think with their heart and mind, and that is rather ugly.

Abby’s boss hires Mike to take part in their show and Abby gets frustrated but it is out of her hands. In the meanwhile, Abby meets her neighbor (Eric Winter) via a strange event and is convinced that he is the man of her dreams. Abby and Mike make a deal: Mike will her Abby get the neighbor and Abby will let him run his show. If he fails, he’ll quit.

Thus begins the transformation of Abby. Mike helps her see the male point of view and act accordingly. Mike and Abby become somewhat friends along the way. Mike is successful though, because soon the neighbor is interested in Abby and they’re dating. However the Abby with the neighbor isn’t the same Abby. She is less controlled, sexier and more easy-going.

Mike gets famous and is soon asked to be on the “Late Late Night with Craig Ferguson” which is actually an audition for him. Abby’s boss asks her to stop Mike from accept the proposal he’ll be given so she follows in to San Francisco despite her plans with the neighbor in Lake Tahoe.

In San Francisco, Mike and Abby dance to celebrate and Mike reveals that he didn’t accept the proposal. In the elevator, they share a somewhat strange moment that ends with a kiss and Abby leaves for her room. Her door is knocked, she opens it expecting Mike, but her neighbor/boyfriend is on the other side instead. A few minutes later Mike shows up but makes an excuse and leaves.

Abby breaks up with the neighbor and the next morning we find out that Mike quit his job on Abby’s channel. There is a show to be made about hot-air balloons and Abby finds a replacement for Mike who turns out to be a disaster so she takes his places. Watching Abby on TV talking about their relationship, Mike breaks in and they have an argument/stand-off about men and women and actually about themselves. Then, live, the balloon takes off and they have a talk. Mike reveals that he is in love with her and then after a little heated argument they kiss.

In the final scene, we see them in bed and Abby’s having an orgasm and Mike asks whether it was fake or not and she answer vaguely that he’ll never know. And credits.

The Ugly Truth works on the same formula that Hollywood has been doing for ages: man and woman of opposite sides hate each other at first then fall in love. However, this time it is full of funny stuff going on with a lot of obscene words and occasions (i.e.  Abby wears “vibrating panties” while at a meeting in a restaurant and a kid controls the remote, there are several usages of the f word and all). There were many movies this year about relationships (He’s Just Not That Into You) and strange couples (The Proposal) but I have to admit this was by far the best of them. It is a rom-com heavier on the comedy part (except from the last 20 minutes). And Gerard Butler, as usual, is charming and Katherine Heigl acts her part nicely. They have greet on-scene chemistry and they make you laugh, hard.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend watching The Ugly Truth, especially if you are looking to have fun for 90 minutes.