When it comes to love, is the truth always so black and white? In Katherine Heigl’s case, love was an elusive object that she couldn’t control in The Ugly Truth, now on DVD.
Abby Richter (Heigl) was always unlucky at finding love because she couldn’t separate her work as a television producer from her personal life. Abby even did background checks before she went out on dates, which ended up terrifying potential suitors before the first course arrived. Her luck suddenly changed when she took an interest in her new doctor neighbor Colin (Eric Winter). Colin was a walking advertisement of Abby’s perfect man, but she was afraid to make the first move for fear of saying the wrong thing.
Instead of saying everything she wants to Colin, Abby focused her attention and hatred on the new commentator Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler) for his purely masculine viewpoint on relationships. The viewers, as well as Abby’s bosses, loved Mike’s “ugly truth” segment so much that he became a regular presence on camera and in Abby’s life. In an effort to earn Abby’s trust, Mike offered to help her land Colin on his terms or he’d quit the show. What neither expected was that their mutual dislike for one another masked something quite different. Can these two polar opposites find a way to come together or remain separated by their differences? (If you’ve to ask, you need to watch many more romantic comedies to get the picture.)
Truth’s plot followed many romantic-comedy clichés with an unnecessarily R-rated undertone. The film’s funniest moments did indeed come from the raunchier scenes, such as Heigl’s unexpected business dinner guest and the baseball game date disaster. Unfortunately, the film’s biggest issue was the actual pairing of Mike and Abby themselves. There were hints of something brewing from time to time, but the real sparks happened too suddenly for it to be convincing. If the romance started a little sooner, it would’ve made much more sense.
Sadly, Heigl needs to stop playing the Julia Roberts card and carve out her own presence in these types of films. The America’s sweetheart persona can only take her so far without the help of good acting or a credible film. She needs to find different roles to play, or she’ll be acting like Meg Ryan when she reaches her 40’s. Heigl was at her best in Truth when she played the playful vixen, because her character controlled the situation without her male costars even knowing it.
In terms of sex appeal, Gerard Butler has it in spades. He was believable as a leading man, but he was trapped in too many stereotypes to be considered memorable. Butler should do another 300 type role to get audiences lined up around the block. Another thing that would help is if he did all his roles shirtless. Now that’d be a ticket worth buying any day.
If you’re a fan of romantic comedies or the two leads, The Ugly Truth is the perfect flick to watch on a Saturday night.
Score: 2 out of 5 stars
Movie Rating: R
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