--- title: "The Ugly Truth: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-ugly-truth/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-ugly-truth" critics_score: 41 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Ugly Truth (2009): what the critics said Critics' score 41 from 12 reviews: 0 positive, 5 mixed, 7 negative. Most critics turn the film down, and none of the twelve reviews recommends it outright. The praise, such as it is, lands on the leads rather than the film around them: Gerard Butler’s affable, lived-in charm comes up repeatedly, and Katherine Heigl is called likeable and a natural fit for the genre. The complaints are just as consistent. The jokes are crude, the plot is formulaic and predictable, and several reviews object to its dated picture of career women. The reviews part over whether the two stars work together. Slant and The Hollywood Reporter find their chemistry sharp and watchable; Radio Times and Time Out think their strengths cancel each other out. The spread is wide, from mild shrugs that call it enjoyable enough to outright pans from the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian, which finds blushes but no laughs. Den of Geek’s high mark belongs to the disc’s picture and sound, not the film, which it dismisses as crude and unfunny. ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 20 July 2009. The paywall shell does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no praise or complaint to identify. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-ugly-truth/5003667.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 July 2009. The URL indicates a New York Times review of the 2009 film. The page content is inaccessible, so its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/movies/24ugly.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Farber Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 19 July 2009. Farber finds the film uneven but amusing enough to get by, with its leads’ chemistry helping it reach a satisfying ending. He praises their effervescent dance scene, while faulting the crude jokes and underused supporting cast. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ugly-truth-film-review-93366/) ## Slant Magazine — Matt Noller Rating 2/4. 23 July 2009. Noller finds the film formulaic and its jokes hit-or-miss, though the leads make it pleasurably watchable. He especially praises Heigl and Butler’s brittle, sharp chemistry and their performances. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-ugly-truth/) ## Radio Times — Karen Krizanovich Rating 2/5. The review finds the film uneven, with the leads appealing individually but lacking chemistry together. It singles out the script’s prickly, if unmemorable, banter as a saving grace. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-608jqk/the-ugly-truth/) ## Time Out — Anna Smith Rating 2/5. 4 August 2009. Smith finds the two leads’ strengths and weaknesses cancel each other out. She singles out Heigl as a rom-com asset and Butler as frequently miscast. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-ugly-truth-2) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 2009. O’Hara finds the comedy patchy and its portrayal of women frustrating, despite a familiar romantic-comedy setup. She praises Butler’s charm and casting, but says the material does not give him enough support. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ugly-truth-review/) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 July 2009. McCarthy finds the romantic comedy contrived and predictable, with performances that often lack comic spontaneity. He singles out Gerard Butler’s affable, lived-in charm as an asset. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/the-ugly-truth-1200475304/) ## Los Angeles Times — Michael Phillips Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 24 July 2009. Phillips pans the film as witless, formulaic, and regressive. He criticizes its dated stereotypes of career women and says its performers’ comic skills are wasted. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-24-et-uglytruth24-story.html) ## The Guardian — Catherine Shoard Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2009. Shoard delivers a sharply negative verdict, saying the film raises blushes but earns no laughs. She faults its tin-eared raunch and implausible world, despite noting a spark of chemistry between the leads. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/aug/07/ugly-truth-katherine-heigl-film-review) ## Digital Spy Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 5 August 2009. The critic finds the comedy formulaic and lacklustre, though ultimately enjoyable. They praise Katherine Heigl’s likeability and Gerard Butler’s comic charm, while faulting the film for crude jokes and an underdeveloped lead character. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a169195/the-ugly-truth/) ## Den of Geek — Carley Tauchert Rating 5 out of 5. 10 February 2010. Tauchert strongly condemns the film as crude, unfunny, and insulting, with an obvious story and weak performances. She singles out the script and the leads’ performances as major failures, while praising the Blu-ray’s picture and sound. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-ugly-truth-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-ugly-truth.md