The Ugly Truth

To call this a “chick flick” is insulting to women who enjoy a good romantic comedy—which Robert Luketics' The Ugly Truth is decidedly not. Set in a Sacramento TV station, the story centers on the savvy but uptight Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl), producer of a morning talk show with low ratings, who is forced to work with rude and crude sex-jock Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler). “He represents everything that's wrong with TV and society,” she correctly observes, but then—inexplicably—looks to macho, misogynistic Mike for advice on a matter of the heart. As Mike coaches Abby on how to catch the interest of Colin (Eric Winter), a hunky next-door-neighbor doctor, she realizes that perhaps Mike has some insight into the male psyche, after all. But the foul-mouthed vulgarity of some of Mike's on-air segments is both inexcusable and unbelievable (given FCC regulations). The Ugly Truth borrows unabashedly from Cyrano de Bergerac, The Taming of the Shrew and Pygmalion, yet manages to remain steadfastly formulaic. While Heigl seems eager to break out of her Grey's Anatomy niche, Butler (300) has yet to land the role that will elevate him to leading man status. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include select scene commentary with director Robert Luketic and producer Gary Lucchesi, deleted and extended scenes (17 min.), production featurettes on “The Art of Laughter: A Making of Hilarious Proportions” (16 min.) and “The Truth is Ugly: Capturing the Male & Female Point of View” (13 min.), a gag reel (11 min.), two alternate endings (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy and the “movieIQ” feature that allows viewers to access real-time information on the cast, music, trivia, and more through the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing comedy.] (S. Granger)