Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is the producer of a TV morning show in Sacramento suffering from poor ratings. Morale in the studio is so low that crew members have begun bickering with each other, even co-hosts Georgia (Cheryl Hines) and Larry Redding (John Michael Higgins) who happen to be married to each other.
Faced with the prospect of having her program cancelled, Abby grudgingly agrees to let her boss (Nick Searcy) make several programming changes. But she would never have guessed that the first person he'd hire would be a sexist like Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), a womanizer with a popular relationship advice show on public access television.
It turns out that just the night before, Abby happened to tune in to an episode of "The Ugly Truth" by accident. And she'd been so outraged by Mike's misogynistic musings that she was prompted to call in to confront him on the air about his pronouncement that all men are shallow and only interested in a woman's looks. Unfortunately, he got the better of the exchange, putting the anonymous caller on the defensive by insinuating that she was a lonely spinster.
Romantically-challenged Abby's love life has admittedly been a disappointment, between focusing on her career and saving herself for the sort of perfect gentleman that macho Mike claims doesn't exist. Of course, the two butt heads from the moment he arrives at the station the following morning, especially when he goes over her head to get approval for segments featuring everything from female Jello wrestling to a couple of brainless bimbos billed as "The Fun Bag Twins."
So unfolds The Ugly Truth, a predictable battle-of-the-sexes comedy directed by Robert Luketic. Only in a formulaic Hollywood fairytale could an infuriated feminist like Abby eventually fall for a creepy cave man like Mike. The script (written by a trio of ostensibly self-hating females, by the way) has her going gaga over a date-rape advocate who believes that "Just because she says no doesn't mean she means no."
But worse than the implausible and patently offensive plotline is the picture's relentlessly-raunchy brand of humor designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator in a decidedly-coarse fashion. Ugly, and that's the truth!
Fair (1 star)
Rated R for sexuality and profanity.
Running time: 96 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: 6 deleted scenes, 2 alternate endings, gag reel, select scene commentary by the director and producer, and a couple of featurettes.
To order a copy of The Ugly Truth on DVD, visit: AMAZON
To see a trailer for The Ugly Truth,
Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. Contact him through NewsBlaze.
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