The Ugly Truth

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Gerard Butler cemented his reputation as a formidable action star by battling Spartan foes in 300 and fending off White House invaders in Olympus Has Fallen, but he also made several segues into the rom-com genre. However, while his action roles have certainly found a dedicated audience, with the likes of Den of Thieves and its recent sequel scoring reasonably well with audiences and at the box office, one of his old comedy movies, The Ugly Truth , is now an unexpected hit on Hulu .

However, the movie really lived up to its name when it was released in 2009 as far as critics were concerned, as their 14% Tomatometer annihilation of the movie delivered an ugly truth that Butler is much better when shooting bad guys and saving presidents. Directed by Robert Luketic and co-starring Katherine Heigl, the film was panned for its contrived premise and risqué back-and-forth banter, but that is only half the story.

Audiences were much more accommodating of the film, which sees Heigl playing a single TV producer who finds herself being thrown together with opinionated celebrity Mike (Butler), leading them into a battle of the sexes. Scoring 60% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, the film was a huge financial hit, delivering a $205 million box office from its $38 million budget. It is hard to argue with that kind of result, and now that the film is finding a new audience on Hulu, it seems that time has not diminished the interest in Butler and Heigl’s hookup.

On paper, an opposites-attract setup is often one that yields strong results, but for critics, The Ugly Truth failed at pretty much every step. But were they right about the movie, or was it just a case of critics looking for and expecting too much? The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says, “Despite the best efforts of Butler and Heigl, The Ugly Truth suffers from a weak script that relies on a romantic comedy formula, with little charm or comedic payoff.”

Dipping into the individual reviews, and there are over 174 of them to choose from, it is pretty difficult to find someone with anything good to say about the movie. New York Post’s Lou Lumenick said of the film, “Romantic comedies are an increasingly debased genre, but few recent Hollywood products have been anywhere near as crass and contrived as The Ugly Truth.” Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News adds, “Ugly is, indeed, the word for any comedy that manages to insult both its cast and audience with nearly every scene.” Even the “fresh” reviews, such as one from Amy Biancolli of the Houston Chronicle, fail to ignite much enthusiasm. She writes:

At a 60% score from audiences, reviews from that side are obviously quite mixed, but many people find something to like within the movie. Mostly thanks to the charisma of Butler, and the chemistry between him and Heigl, the movie just about passes the threshold between “fresh” and “rotten.” It is certainly not a triumph by any means. For example, one review that gives the film three stars notes, “Only the good chemistry of Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl saves this clichéd and very misogynist rom-com.”

In the 16 years that have passed since The Ugly Truth was released, Butler has really become a go-to guy for brutal action movies, and has found a niche that is paying dividends. Rom-com roles don’t seem to be high on the actor’s agenda right now, as he will soon be reprising his role as Stoic in the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, and will continue to bring the action in a third Den of Thieves movie. That is probably something we can mostly be thankful for.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes