Great romantic comedy that's not just for the girls (The Ugly Truth (DVD))

Member Name: emmajt81

Product:	The Ugly Truth (DVD)
Date:	02/09/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny, newish story, good acting from the leads and support

Disadvantages: None

Film review only

Katherine Heigl plays Abbey - a producer in the world of daytime TV. She is a perfectionist and control freak and will not settle for anything less than perfect in a man which is one of the reasons she doesn't have one. When watching late night cable one night she tunes into Mike Chadways, 'The Ugly Truth' show. He is everything she hates in a man and she feels the need to call in and tell him that he's wrong and there is such a thing as a perfect man and perfect relationship. To Abbeys surprise her TV station have hired Mike (Gerard Butler) as a host on her daytime TV show and when she shows up to work the next day she is not amused to say the least. Because of poor ratings and the great effect Mike has on them on his first day Abbey has to put up with Mike but everything he does and says annoys her no end. Whilst she is waiting for the perfect man he is trying to convince her he doesn't exist and all men are the same. To prove his point, he coaches her into acting differently to get a date with her hot neighbour and when it works Abbey is overjoyed - but perhaps her perfect man isn't the man she wants after all.

Clichéd yes, new spin on the story, absolutely. This is a funny film which hits all the right notes. Whilst it is a romantic comedy as a definition, it's actually a lot more than that. It's a bit more gritty and real rather than flimsy and cute and Gerard Butler demonstrates that perfectly as the lead male who is a bit rough round the edges but still a worthy choice for the romantic lead. Gerard Butler is the new 'in thing' at the moment and you can see why. He hasn't done many films like this (if any) but he is a welcome change to the usual Hollywood type. He brings a bit more realism to the role without it being totally unbelievable that Abbey would eventually fall for a guy like him.

Katherine Heigl is great here too. She is fast becoming the new queen of romantic comedy, and there's nothing wrong with that. She was great in 27 Dresses and here she once again delivers every line brilliantly, contending with some quite long dialogue in places too yet still managing every word with meaning and conviction. The same as 27 Dresses she's playing a feisty independent woman looking for love and she really does excel at playing such a strong female lead and is more than capable of carrying this whole film herself. She's good at delivery and good at both physical and spoken comedy which is no mean feat to be able to carry them all off. She's also a great believable actress to boot and I think we'll be seeing her in many films to come.

The story is quite fresh and a new spin on the usual romantic comedy and all the leading actors have great screen presence. Whilst this seems on first glance to be a girly film it actually isn't and I think Gerard Butler would convince a lot of men to take a look at this film and be pleasantly surprised. The director brought us such hits as Legally Blonde and Monster in Law and in both those films the humour and delivery was as spot on as it is here. The reality of this film is true to life also - there are many strong career focused women who are looking for love and ticking characteristics off a check list like Abbey is doing here all over the world which makes Abbeys life and situation very relatable.

The 15 rating stems from the references to sex throughout and one particular scene reminiscent of the iconic scene from 'When Harry Met Sally' - I will leave that for you to find out about yourselves! None of the humour is crude though and it all is in context with the rest of the film.

Suffice to say - I really enjoyed this film. The acting is good and solid and the story is new and fresh and believable. The leads have that 'spark' that's needed and the ending is funny and satisfying at the same time. Reccommended.

Summary: Fun romantic comedy thats a bit more real and better than the rest