THE UGLY TRUTH - Is That Heigl Sparkles!

THE UGLY TRUTH (romantic comedy)
Cast: Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, Cheryl Hines, Bonnie Somerville, Bree Turner, Eric Winter, Vicki Lewis and Holly Weber
Director: Robert Luketic
Time: 96 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)


PREAMBLE: Just when we thought that there wouldn't be a more hilarious scene than that of Meg Ryan's 'orgasm' scene in the cafeteria' in When Harry Met Sally, Katherine Heigl comes along and tips the apple cart...

But first, let's get to the ugly truths about this rom-com: 1. It is utterly predictable (just like most rom-coms); 2. It steals scenes and ideas from classics like When Harry Met Sally and Cyrano De Bergerac; 3. It is crude and gross; and 4. It got my better half and me laughing more than the average rom-com.

And just on that Ugly Truth No 4, it has my vote of Three Stars!

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Abby Richter (Heigl) is a Sacramento TV show producer whose search for Mr Right has left her hopelessly single. She's in for a rude awakening when her bosses team her with Mike Chadway (Gerald Butler), a crude and down-to-earth TV personality who promises to spill the ugly truth on what makes men and women tick.

Predictably, Abby and Mike start off like cats and dogs. However, when Mike uses his caveman wisdom to help her to win the heart of her hunky and handsome neighbour Colin (Eric Winter), her regard for him changes from contempt to respect and...

HITS & MISSES: After Knocked Up and 27 Dresses, 'Dr Izzie Stevens' Heigl proves she has enough talent and experience to headline any romantic comedy. Here, her partnership with 'King Leonidas' Butler appears to be a casting coup because their screen chemistry sizzles.

As the uptight control freak Abby, Heigl has the women viewers eating out of her hand. Throw in Butler as the loutish know-it-all, the comedy gets the men's attention. Together, they make the comedy sparkle with romantic overtures and sexual innuendoes - and make us overlook the movie's predictability and its derivativeness.

It also helps a lot that director Robert Luketic (of Legally Blonde fame) keeps the pace fast and hot - and the mood light and fun.

THE LOWDOWN: You see The Ugly Truth for the laughs, not the story.