The Ugly Truth (2009)

What I Expected:

Pitting the sexes against each other is not really my idea of romance, so when it is billed as romantic comedy, I cringe a bit. On the other hand Katherine Heigl seems to have a good nose for picking decent roles and she is funny, so I was willing to give The Ugly Truth the benefit of the doubt. Gerald Butler on the other hand is best known as the phantom in Phantom of the Opera or King Leonidas in 300 – neither role really a comedy… hmm.

What I got:

Katherine Heigl plays Abby, a hard-driving TV producer who has no idea how to get a man, while Gerald Butler plays Mike – a misogynistic self-help guru for men, who is peddling “the ugly truth” about the sexes. They clash the moment he is hired to work on the morning TV show she produces. When he overhears her talking with a prospective date on the phone, Mike bets her that he can coach her to get the man on the other end into her bed with his insight into the male psyche. Needless to say it works, and many (and sometimes funny) complications arise, especially as he falls for her in the process.

Nothing really new here, except, that The Ugly Truth is a fairly sweet take on the battle of the sexes. Much more so than you might have expected from a modern comedy, especially one about lies and deception. This one falls somewhere between 27 Dresses and Knocked Up, – which were both very enjoyable previous efforts by Ms. Heigl. That Gerald Butler proves to be a comedic talent is certainly a bonus. The chemistry between the two of them is never truly believable, but their “battle” is still fun to watch.

As date-movie themes go, I would caution the guys to tread lightly here. It would be easy to fall into the trap of taking the side of the ugly truth-er, but I suspect you would do so at your peril, if you want the date to end “well.” He is a pig, and even if you secretly agree with some of his techniques, don’t let it on too much.

And ladies, you too should be careful not to express your disgust too loudly, if you want the date to end “well.” Not all men are this much of a pig, but we are still fairly basic creatures, and picking an argument over our worst qualities, really isn’t very romantic. Unless you are into angry, make-up sex, in which case, by all means duke it out after the movie.

The nice thing about The Ugly Truth is that there is something in it for both men and women. It is not really a chick-flick, while certainly not a guy-movie either. It is a reasonably fun comedy that you can enjoy together with plenty of laughs, beautiful people and a good, relationship affirming morale. No really, it is actually not a chick-flick. Trust me guys.

PS: As a designer, I really appreciate the use of the Helvetica toilet people in the poster. Very nice!

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.