The Ugly Truth

"It's a matter of looking chaos in the eye and telling it to F-off," exclaims Katherine Heigl's Abby Richter early on in The Ugly Truth.

That's an important quote for a few reasons.

It doesn't simply apply to the chaos inherent in Richter's job as a news show producer for a local Sacramento channel. It's actually more applicable to modern dating. Dating is chaotic. Many young professionals are fickle and driven by whim. So how do you navigate those murky waters and hold onto your sanity?

You have to understand The Ugly Truth, which according to Mike Chadway—a fantastically funny Gerard Butler—is that all men are dogs. Mike has become the new hot-button risqué anchor of Abby's news program and she couldn't hate him more. However, she reluctantly begins to realize that he may be right. After he bets her that he can fix her dating life, she takes some notes from him. That's when the real fun begins.

The premise of the film is simple but smart. Abby must rely on Mike to get the handsome young doctor she's lusting after. This time the classic makeover montage from every romantic comedy is turned upside down with Mike encouraging Abby to whore it up a bit. Butler handles comedy just as well as he handles a sword in 300. His presence is often undeniable. Abby chides him for hooking up with the Jell-O wrestling twins from his morning bit, and he simply responds, "I only slept with the one who could read." Butler's delivery is quick and confident, and he drives the film's narrative. Take another hilarious scene where he buys Abby some vibrating panties and she accidentally wears them to a big business dinner. The remote gets misplaced, and there are more than a few mild tremors courtesy of a young boy.

Heigl nails the physical comedy perfectly in the scene. She also manages to make Abby's transformation from control-freak to "compromising" very convincing, hanging onto Gerard's every word. Heigl never comes off as overly abrasive rather as just someone too busy to date and overly checklist-orientated. So her whole metamorphosis feels real. Butler breaks those walls down, and the chemistry starts to sizzle—especially during their dance sequence.

The film gets dirty at all the right times too. You won't forget the expression "flick the bean" anytime soon. Ultimately, this is an intelligent romantic comedy steered by two of the brightest stars in the biz. It never skimps on raunch—gladly embracing it, never telling it to "F--- off."

—Rick Florino
07.28.09