“The Ugly Truth” – Katherine Heigl’s other talent.

I owe my wife a lot of movies. She has gone to see a lot of “guy” movies with me, though, even she has her limits. She’s okay with “Transformers,” but she’d die before she wasted two hours on “G.I. Joe.” My point is that “The Ugly Truth” is a payback film for her. I still owe her roughly seventy-four more to break even, but don’t tell her that.

Luckily, “The Ugly Truth” has certain aspects which make the movie more palatable for me. 1) It’s a romantic comedy, so at least there’s a chance I will be laughing. 2) Gerard Butler has quickly become one my favorite male actors. 3) Izzy is hot (note: until she plays a different type of character she’ll always be Izzy). That third one is especially important for married guys who are seeing movies their wives pick.

You see, guys don’t really care about the plot of romantic comedies. We already know what is going to happen (you should too, ladies). Generally, there’s a guy and girl who start off bickering, start seeing things in each other, have their “big night,” fight over something inane, and end up together in the end. So, we need something else to keep our attention. That’s why no guy will walk out of “Julie and Julia” without wanting to wrap his lips around his exhaust pipe when he gets back to his car (my apologies to Amy Adams, but that’s just not a good look for you).

Rest assured guys, because “The Ugly Truth” has enough stuff for you to stay interested for most of the movie. Butler plays a man’s man; a guy who delivers the truth about men via a late night cable access show. Izzy produces a failing morning talk show and is forced to hire Butler to improve ratings. The first thing Butler does is host two bikini clad women wrestling in Jell-O. See, guys? I told you it wasn’t all bad.

Izzy hates him at first, while simultaneously fawning over her new neighbor, whom meets her “checklist” of items she wants in a guy. This is the same checklist that Butler tells her does not exist in a man and he bets her that he can help her land the guy, providing she does what he tells her. Izzy is terrible with guys, so obviously, this is going to lead to some hijinx. This is also where the “hot” part comes in, as Butler helps her to look and dress the way guys want. Let me tell you, he succeeds.

Ladies, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. This kind of movie is right down your alley. It’s got the funny love story with the added bonus of Butler, who, as my wife puts it, is “ooohhgghhoooghh.” You might even like the neighbor (there’s one semi-nude part; guys, you’ll want to look away), though I think he looks a little too much like he popped out of a men’s magazine and didn’t wipe off the sheen. There’s also a scene later, where Izzy and Butler are dancing, that will make you ladies squirm in your seat and eyeball your husband/boyfriend.

The best part of the film, which both sexes will enjoy, is the orgasm at the dinner table scene. We last saw this in “The Wedding Crashers” and now it’s Izzy’s turn. The scene is set up with Izzy opening a gift bag from Butler and pulling out a pair of vibrating panties. She’s supposed to be going on a date with the neighbor, but she figures she has time to try them out. Just as she slips them on, the doorbell rings and it’s Butler and her boss forcing her to join them for dinner with some network executives. She tosses the remote control for the panties into her purse as she is running out the door. Later, while sitting at the table, she unknowingly drops the remote, which is picked up by a young boy. The boy starts fiddling with it, and Izzy begins the ride. About halfway through the scene, Butler sees the kid with it, smiles, and enjoys the show. This is easily the best part of the movie.

All-in-all, it’s one of the better movies for a date night. It’s got some eye candy for all of us, a decent amount of comedy, and nothing glaringly stupid. Now, I just have seventy-three more to go.

Rating: Wait until the next morning to decide whether the film was worth it. It was a date after all.