This summer has been a time of surprise hits – movies I thought would be bombs and turned out exceptional. Now along comes “The Ugly Truth” a movie that I anticipated for two long months, yet it unfortunately fails on so many levels, that I’m not sure where to begin. But I’ll try… The gorgeous Katherine Heigl plays Abby, a TV morning show producer who has to deal with a self-promoting, over-the-top-bad-boy talk show host (Gerard Butler). He comes with advice on how to get a man: “Men like long hair. They need something to grab onto.” (This being his most innocent of advice lines.) The problem with this film is that Butler is possibly Hollywood’s newest and sexiest man’s-man actor, so his goofball doesn’t work the way it might if he were, say, Ben Stiller or Robert Downey Jr. He’s just too hot to be taken lightly. Heigl – who is the most stunning creature and could rival a classic Carole Lombard – never shows us range beyond comedy. And in this, she trashes herself down to a lower notch by doing toilet humor (though it must be said her restaurant orgasm scene is today’s modern equivalent to the infamous Meg Ryan one.) The film feels overly-formulaic and forced. Only when the movie slows down in a hotel where the wrong guy is at the door, do we feel our emotions get a chance to play catch-up to the pacing. I’m also never quite sure how we transition from hating this dog (Butler) to liking him. Finally, the message of the movie is unclear. Initially it’s about understanding how to get a man and keep him. By the end, it’s more how to attract a loser and go for Mr. Wrong. Two tiaras
