The Ugly Truth

From the desk of The Movie Snob

The Ugly Truth (D). It stunk. Now, don't get me wrong. It is possible to make a good movie in which a prim and proper woman is thrown together with a rough-around-the-edges rogue, and erotic tension ensues. Think of classics like Gone With the Wind, The African Queen, and The Empire Strikes Back. But by no means think of this recent DVD release starring Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) and Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera). She's Abby, an uptight morning-TV-show producer; he's Mike, a crude Howard Stern type who's foisted on her to boost ratings. Mike is supposed to have unique insights into what makes men and women tick, but in reality he's just a foul-mouthed boor with a uniquely low opinion of men and women alike. In the real world, Abby would respond to this walking hostile-work-environment with a lawsuit, but in this cretinous film things turn out differently--perhaps because, just beneath the surface, Abby is almost as vulgar and unpleasant as Mike is. This movie will not only waste your time, but I honestly believe it will make you worse as a person. I lament that it grossed $89 million in this country alone. Avoid it.