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The Ugly Truth

  • 20092009
  • RR
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
218K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,671
173
Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth (2009)
A macho morning TV show correspondent (Butler) makes a bet with his love-challenged producer (Heigl): If his tips on how to land and keep a guy don't work, he'll quit the business.
Play trailer2:12
7 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyRomance
An uptight television producer takes control of a morning show segment on modern relationships hosted by a misogynistic man.An uptight television producer takes control of a morning show segment on modern relationships hosted by a misogynistic man.An uptight television producer takes control of a morning show segment on modern relationships hosted by a misogynistic man.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
218K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,671
173
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Robert Luketic
    • Writers
      • Nicole Eastman(screenplay)
      • Karen McCullah(screenplay)
      • Kirsten Smith(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Katherine Heigl
      • Gerard Butler
      • Bree Turner
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Robert Luketic
    • Writers
      • Nicole Eastman(screenplay)
      • Karen McCullah(screenplay)
      • Kirsten Smith(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Katherine Heigl
      • Gerard Butler
      • Bree Turner
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 226User reviews
    • 172Critic reviews
    • 28Metascore
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos7

    The Ugly Truth - Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:12
    The Ugly Truth - Trailer #2
    The Ugly Truth: Trailer
    Trailer 2:33
    The Ugly Truth: Trailer
    The Ugly Truth -- "You Follow Baseball"
    Clip 0:44
    The Ugly Truth -- "You Follow Baseball"
    The Ugly Truth -- "Rule #2"
    Clip 1:24
    The Ugly Truth -- "Rule #2"
    The Ugly Truth -- "Teaser Campaign"
    Clip 2:48
    The Ugly Truth -- "Teaser Campaign"
    The Ugly Truth
    Interview 0:43
    The Ugly Truth
    The Ugly Truth
    Interview 0:40
    The Ugly Truth

    Photos102

    Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, John Michael Higgins, Cheryl Hines, Nick Searcy, and Bree Turner in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    John Michael Higgins and Cheryl Hines in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    John Michael Higgins and Cheryl Hines in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Robert Luketic in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Robert Luketic in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Katherine Heigl and Robert Luketic in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, and Robert Luketic in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, and Robert Luketic in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Katherine Heigl in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Katherine Heigl in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Katherine Heigl in The Ugly Truth (2009)
    Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Katherine Heigl
    Katherine Heigl
    • Abby
    Gerard Butler
    Gerard Butler
    • Mike Chadway
    Bree Turner
    Bree Turner
    • Joy
    Eric Winter
    Eric Winter
    • Colin
    Nick Searcy
    Nick Searcy
    • Stuart
    Jesse D. Goins
    Jesse D. Goins
    • Cliff
    Cheryl Hines
    Cheryl Hines
    • Georgia
    John Michael Higgins
    John Michael Higgins
    • Larry
    Noah Matthews
    Noah Matthews
    • Jonah
    Bonnie Somerville
    Bonnie Somerville
    • Elizabeth
    John Sloman
    John Sloman
    • Bob
    Yvette Nicole Brown
    Yvette Nicole Brown
    • Dori
    Nate Corddry
    Nate Corddry
    • Josh
    Allen Maldonado
    Allen Maldonado
    • Duane
    Steve Little
    Steve Little
    • Steve
    Dan Callahan
    Dan Callahan
    • Rick
    Tess Parker
    • Bambi
    Arielle Vandenberg
    Arielle Vandenberg
    • Candi
    • Director
      • Robert Luketic
    • Writers
      • Nicole Eastman(screenplay) (story)
      • Karen McCullah(screenplay)
      • Kirsten Smith(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the film, Gerard Butler's character appears as a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005). Butler and Craig Ferguson are good friends in real life, and the former has been a guest on the real show several times.
    • Goofs
      When Mike makes a comment about an "Irish Craig Ferguson," he's making fun of Abby's awful attempt to mimic Craig's Scottish accent; he's not saying Craig Ferguson is Irish.
    • Quotes

      Mike Chadway: [sarcasticly] Oh, I know, I've got a great idea! Why don't we pass the time with you telling me how much *fun* you and Colin had having sex in Los Angeles?

      Abby Richter: I broke up with Colin in Los Angeles, you jackass!

      Mike Chadway: What?

      Abby Richter: Oh, oh yeah, that's got your interest. Well if you think we're going to finish what we started in L. A. you are out of your mind. You lost your chance.

      Mike Chadway: Oh, c'mon, I never had a chance with you.

      Abby Richter: You're right. I had a momentary lapse in judgement when I thought you were more than you are, but you aren't. Clearly.

      Mike Chadway: Oh, yeah? Well what does that mean?

      Abby Richter: [mockingly] I'm Mike Chadway. I like girls in Jello. I like to fuck like a monkey. Don't fall in love. It's scary.

      Mike Chadway: Yeah, it is scary. It's terrifying. Especially when I'm in love with a psycho like you.

      Abby Richter: I am not a psycho!

      Mike Chadway: I just told you that I loved you and all you heard was "psycho." Well you're the definition of neurotic.

      Abby Richter: No! The definition of neurotic is a person who suffers from anxiety, obessive thoughts, compulsive acts, and, and physical ailments without any objective evidence of...

      Mike Chadway: Shut up! Yet again I just told you I'm in love with you and you're standing here giving me a vocabulary lesson.

      Abby Richter: You're in love with me. Why?

      Mike Chadway: Beats the shit out of me, but I am.

      [she leans over and kisses him]

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Gerard Butler/Venus Williams/Daughtry (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Hot N Cold
      Written by Dr. Luke (as Lukasz Gottwald) Max Martin and Katy Perry

      Performed by Katy Perry

      Courtesy of Capitol Records

      Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

    User reviews226

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Nothing ugly about this show. Thats the truth.
    Over the years, i have found few romantic comedies suited to my taste. Be it live action or in the form of anime, romantic comedies tend to be very mediocre IMO with only a handful that turn out really funny and enjoyable. Through some unforeseen circumstances i ended up not watching "Gamer" starring Gerald Butler and instead watched "The Ugly Truth", also starring Gerald Butler. To be honest, it was my curiosity at seeing "Mr 'This is Sparta'" handle a comedy lead role that convinced me to give this movie a shot.

    THe premise is as such. Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a perfectionist, "control freak"-ish morning show TV producer whose show is on the verge of being canceled due to low ratings. One night, she comes home from a disastrous date and happens to watch a segment of a TV show, "The Ugly Truth", hosted by "shock jock" by Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler). Abby calls into his show and argues with Mike on-air, in response to cynical attitude about relationships prompts, which leads to her quite literally "hating his guts". The next day, she discovers that the station she works for has hired Mike to do a segment on her show in order to boost ratings. This kicks starts a very storm tossed relationship between the two which lends itself to numerous comedic turns. Sooner than expected, Abby just so happens to fall for her doctor neighbor and she grudgingly goes to Mike for advice at "netting" the man of her dreams(actually the only man who fulfilled her listed criteria). The unlikely pair cut a deal in that if she is She agrees to his advice and is successful, it would prove Mike's theories on relationships and she will work happily with him. However if Mike fails, he agrees to quit.

    Anyone with experience in this genre of movies can more or less fill in the rest of the story. Unlikely pair work together, more jokes, fall for each other, more jokes, Love triangle develops, tragedy strikes, touching finale. Finish.

    In this case, I would admit that the usual formula actually works to a certain extent. It allows the audience the satisfaction of actually knowing what they are watching, and getting exactly what they are expecting. This is not avant Garde cinema, but it is entertainment. Also the formulaic story allows one to focus more on the scripting and acting, which IMO is where this movie truly shines.

    Witty banter and a cornucopia of innuendo-ed jokes fill up most of the film. Sexual references abound but are written in such a tactful way that they do not come off as crass or crude. Most sexual innuendo jokes tend to be rude and sometimes offensive; thankfully thats not the case here.There is wit to the humor in this movie that utilities word puns and double meanings in their jokes to good effect. Thankfully, the humor is not over-played and the more serious moments of the movie are spliced very well into the overall narrative. The characters and situations are written in such a way that anyone could easily identify with them, which lends to a greater emotional involvement in the film.

    Stellar acting by the cast also helps. Special mention goes to Gerald Butler who proves to be an exceedingly versatile actor. He nails the carefree, in-your-face, yet internally bitter character of Mike Chadway to the point that it is easy to forget the actor playing the role and just become so involved with character himself. Katherine Heigl does a satisfying job as Abby, lending both her acting chops and eye candy to the complex lead role.

    My only beef with this movie is that it could have expounded on the relationship themes a little more instead of falling back on "the usual thing". Having a clearer conflict of ideals between Mike and Abby and maybe going deeper into the strengths and flaws of the ideas presented would have turned this film into a more thought provoking experience. "what men really want" , "what women really look for", "loving the 'me you want to see' or loving 'the real me'", all those little tidbits would have made benefited from a more central role in the film which would have given this movie a "fresher" feel instead of the stale standard story.

    I was personally very entertained by "The Ugly Truth" especially in the laughs department, not just because the jokes were extremely funny, but that they were also well written, witty and made sense without being offensive. I loved superb acting by the leads, excellent cast chemistry and an overall sense of escapism.

    At the end of the day, All i can say is that unless you are already a fan of romantic comedies or unless you have an open mind when it comes to various movie genre(<---like me), its best to stick with what you like. "The Ugly Truth" won't convert staunch action movie junkies or epic fantasy aficionados anytime soon, that's for sure, but just sit back relax and enjoy a good laugh that is easy on the brain. A hearty chuckle and a few quick tugs at the heartstrings now and then is good for body, mind and soul.

    Note to the "not so proficient in English" crowd: Keep your ears open for all the double meanings behind the jokes, its funnier that way.
    helpful•20
    13
    • xamtaro
    • Sep 23, 2009

    FAQ1

    • Is "The Ugly Truth" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 24, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La cruda verdad
    • Filming locations
      • 1930 Rodney Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Lakeshore Entertainment
      • Relativity Media
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $38,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $88,915,214
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $27,605,576
      • Jul 26, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $205,599,393
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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