The Film
When a Sacramento morning show producer starts taking romance advice from her nemesis, a cable access show personality who was just hired to spice up the show, it's no surprise how the movie ends. Every dating myth turns out to be just what Abby's (Katherine Heigl) perfect man desires in an all too predictable way. Viewers can both relate and disagree with the stereotypes: Mike (Gerard Butler) finds Abby to be controlling, and uncovers her knitting projects and prudishness while coaching her budding relationship with Colin (Eric Winter). Meanwhile Mike ignores his own love life, and in just an hour and half the two become soulmates in this sappy but oh so disposable chick flick.
For another opinion on The Ugly Truth read Lexi Feinberg's review of the film.
The Picture
Sacramento, CA is abloom with lush, vivid hues in this romantic comedy, brought to life in this 2.40:1 1080p presentation. As the movie features both "real life" and TV sequences, there is a distinct difference between the live action and the video feed, and these both look quite good on the Blu-ray. In fact the TV station content actually looks better (no surprise) than many local HD sources!
The Sound
The sound of this Blu-ray is often as imbalanced as Abby's love life. The music is overpowering at times, such as in the film's intro, where it all but obscures the dialogue. This effect repeats at various points throughout the film. When it works, and in some moments the dialog is crystal clear, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is quite full and immersing with plenty of sound filling the room. However, throughout much of the movie the sound is akin to watching TV with a commercial suddenly coming on at a much higher volume, sending you racing from the remote. And I don't think this effect is intended.
The Extras
There is nothing particularly ugly about the bonus features. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment may not have outdone itself with extras, but there are an impressive number, with additional bonus material on the Blu-ray not available on the DVD. The gag reel seems standard for a move where the actors didn't fully follow the script but improvised the dialogue. In addition, there are six deleted scenes and two alternate endings that find their way onto Blu-ray, as well as two additional featurettes, although it is worth mentioning that director Robert Luketic and producer Gary Lucchesi only took the time to record commentary for select scenes. Maybe even they couldn't stand to sit through the entire film again?
The Blu-ray also includes Sony's movieIQ, a BD-Live feature on Sony discs that turns the movie into a pop-up video with factoids instantly drawn from the Internet on demand. The Ugly Truth Blu-ray also includes a digital copy for times when Blu-ray isn't the available viewing option.
Final Thoughts
It's a romantic comedy; so don't expect much beyond the typical battle of the sexes with the requisite sentimental ending. The film is mildly enjoyable but not entirely worth repeated viewings, and that's the real truth.
Product Details
- Actors: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler.
- Director: Robert Luketic.
- Audio Languages: English, French, Portugese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Engilish-Audio Description Track.
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portugese.
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: R
- Studio: Columbia Pictures
- Release Date: November 10, 2009
- Film release: 2009
- Run Time: 96 Minutes
- List Price: $39.95
- Extras:
- Six deleted scenes
- Two alternate endings
- Gag reel
- Select scenes with commentary from director Robert Luketic and producer Gary Lucchesi
- "The Truth is Ugly: Capturing the Male & Female Point of View" featurette
- "The Art of Laughter: A Making of Hilarious Proportions" featurette
- movieIQ: Real-time in-movie information about the cast, crew, music, and production via BD-Live
- Digital copy of the film for PC, Mac, or iPod
