I really don't expect much, from romantic comedies.  I keep my expectations low, and usually come out somewhat satisfied with the result.  Rarely do I absolutely love it.  And rarely do I blatantly hate it.  Here's one of those times.

Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

The Ugly Truth starts Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler.  She plays Abby, a TV producer.  She's professional, and a perfectionist.  She can never hold onto a boyfriend because she's looking for the perfect mate, and no one could possibly live up to her standards. She lives alone, with her cat.

He plays Mike, host of a late-night cable TV show, who makes his living talking about "The Ugly Truth".  At least it's the truth as he sees it: mainly that men only want one thing from women, and that women need to dress the part and act the part, if they want to hold onto a man. 

Naturally, she's repulsed by him and his frank talk about sex and relationships.  And, naturally, since this is a Hollywood movie, her boss hires Mike to co-host Abby's show.  And, of course, ratings soar.  Now that Abby's stuck working with him, the two strike up a deal.  She has to listen to his advice when it comes to landing Colin, her new neighbor and the object of her crush.  If it works, she has to get off Mike's case and work nicely with him.  If it doesn't work, he'll quit the show.

There you have it.  The rest of the movie follows Abby doing everything against her instincts to attract Colin (Eric Winter), while Mike is proven right time and time again. 

And here's why I hated this movie:

First of all, there was Abby's character.  How can a woman so successful in business be so stupid when it comes to relationships?  She shouldn't have needed counsel from a man like Mike, she should have been able to figure out years ago that constantly criticizing a man for not living up to her ridiculous standards is not the way to nurture a relationship.  We see her on one of her dates, and she acts like a complete dope.  The minute there's a lull in the conversation, she hands her date a prepared list of possible discussion topics.  Then she criticizes his choice of water.  The date is doomed before it even begins.  And she's not smart enough to understand why??

Then there was Mike's character.  I hated him.  Hated everything he said, everything he stood for, and just about everything about him.  He was arrogant, rude, and crass. 

This is a good time to mention that this movie is rated R.  There is language in this movie that you don't want your kids to hear.  And there are scenes and situations that are just crude. 

But mostly, I just hated the entire concept.  The fact that this pompous man counsels a woman to, basically, change everything about herself, in order to attract a man.  He has her change her hair, her clothes, her entire demeanor towards men.  Am I the only one who knew right away that this could never work?  And shouldn't she want a man who likes her for exactly who she is - not some woman she's pretending to be?  Am I the only one who knew this was a disaster in the making?  Yes, if there's something about herself that she knows is not a great feature, she should work on changing it.  Like her constant criticisms.  But she shouldn't have to change things about herself that she likes (like her short hair, or her comfortable clothes) in order to attract a man.  That's just wrong.

On top of everything else, this movie seems to have copied various scenes from other movies.  There's a scene in a restaurant that is a déjà vu from another movie with a famous restaurant scene.  And, this movie's ending is completely predictable.  If you're thinking "Gee, I'll bet I know how this movie ends", you're probably right.

As far as performances go, I liked Gerard Butler.  But I can do without ever seeing Katherine Heigl in a romantic comedy ever again.  I don't know what it is about her, but she just grates on my nerves. 

The Ugly Truth is a very bad romantic comedy, one I can't recommend.  Sure, there are a few cute scenes, and a couple genuine laughs.  But, mostly, it was a bad movie that I'll likely forget by tomorrow.  I would love to give it 1.5 stars, if we could.  But since we can't, I'll raise it to 2 stars, only because the cat was cute.

Recommended: No