12 September,2009 08:07 AM IST | | Tushar Joshi
The Ugly Truth
A; romcom
Dir: Robert Luketic
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler
''
What's it about: Do opposites attract? Not so much in this romantic comedy about an uptight single TV producer Abby (Heigl) and Mike (Butler), a chauvinistic host of a dating show where he gives expert advice on how women should use sex to attract men. When Abby's show tumbles in ratings, she's instructed to work with Mike and use his charms to rope in the audience. Along the way, they make a bet: if Abby fails to win over a man using Mike's strategies, he will agree to quit the show.
What's hot: Butler, who earlier roared and flexed his muscles as a Spartan, is delectably easy-going on the eyes. A natural charmer, he succeeds in making Mike believable and interesting. There are a couple of confrontation scenes that stand out despite age-old clichu00e9s.
What's not: You have been there, seen that. The ugly truth is that the script and setting for this movie has been established before in a zillion movies. Granted, Abby's character is supposed to be ditzy and dumb, but she's so one-dimensional that she puts you off to sleep. The material that's supposed to, perhaps add tempo to the proceedings, is so weak that it crumbles even before you start showing interest. Heigl looks completely uneasy and way off the mark in many scenes. She has a natural spark and persona that's dumbed down by the script.
What to do: Age-old formula being revived by a new pairing, Ugly Truth sadly puns on its title and remains deplorable and contrived.
