A 2009 romantic comedy starring Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl, The Ugly Truth focuses on just that: the ugly truth between the differences of how men and women go about courtship, which can be boiled down to the placement of the hearts on the movie poster.
The main character Abby Richter is an uptight TV producer whose show isn't getting the ratings it needs to stay on air. In order to bring them back up, the station owner hires Mike Chadway to add his segment 'The Ugly Truth' to their show. Mike's cynical outlook and relationship advice does not click with Abby's romantic beliefs and they constantly argue. Until Abby's dream man Colin moves in next door and she wants to get his attention. She cuts a deal with Mike: if his advice can land her the man she wants, proving his theories on relationships, she will work with him without complaint, but if it fails, Mike agrees to quit.
Has nothing to do with the fifth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book.
This movie provides examples of:
- All Men Are Perverts: Deconstructed. Mike believes this and only acts the way he does because he was spurned by many women and doesn't think a good relationship exists. Otherwise, he shows genuine concern for Abby when she warms up to him.
- Caught on the Jumbotron: Abby spills her drink on Colin's lap. She starts scrubbing quite vigorously. Of course, they get caught on the Jumbotron, and it looks like she's jerking him off.
- Deadpan Snarker: Abby, again.
- Everyone Has Standards: After Mike leaves, he's replaced by a similar on-air personality who advocates for sexual assault while live on the air. He's immediately hip-checked and fired off-camera.
- The First Cut Is the Deepest: Subverted. Abby suspects that the reason Mike is such a sexist is because he had his heart broken by a woman once. But it turns out that it wasn't just one woman; his sexism developed because he was mistreated in every relationship he'd ever been in.
- Forced Orgasm: Abby receives a pair of remote-controlled vibrator panties but has the misfortune to lose the remote. A kid finds it while she's at a business meeting, and she finds herself trying very hard to act casual.
- "Friends" Rent Control: Abby lives in a nice spacious apartment despite her running a failing TV network.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Mike induces this when he shows on the news two girls wrestling in a pool filled with cherry Jell-O. Shockingly enough, this act helps boost their station ratings.
- Happy Dance: Abby's spazzy dance, as Mike names it.
- Hollywood California: The movie was set in Sacramento, but was clearly filmed mostly in L.A.
- The Immodest Orgasm: Mike gives Abby a pair of vibrator panties, and she wears them to a business meeting but loses the remote. A curious kid finds it and so Abby finds herself trying very hard to converse and pass off her gasps casually.
- Lecherous Licking: In the "Jell-O wrestling" news segment by Mike, Abby encourages Mike to lick the Jell-O off the girl's finger so it could help boost the ratings. Mike does so and is surprised, that the Jell-O is cherry not strawberry.
- Matchmaker Crush: The lead characters start to get along when he helps her get together with the guy she likes. Then the two start falling for each other...
- Playing Cyrano: Mike instructs Abby on how to ensnare and hold on to the handsome, and comparatively charming doctor of her dreams. Instead of being interested in the Roxane of the scenario, however, Mike's Cyrano ends up falling for Abby's Christian.
- Precision F-Strike: Abby's been spending time with Mike, and it shows.Mike: "Did you just say cock?"
- Scenery Censor: When Abby dreams of being a Weather Girl, she's naked with her breasts and crotch covered by clouds.
- Stripping Snag: When Abby gets stuck upside down on a tree and Mike runs to help her in a Modesty Towel, her flailing accidentally tears off his towel, giving her an eyeful.
