katherine heigl
July 23 (Bloomberg) -- Katherine Heigl may be creating a new category for beautiful actresses in romantic comedies: reverse typecasting.
After getting impregnated by a homely slacker in “Knocked Up” and playing a perennial bridesmaid in “27 Dresses,” Heigl defies pigeonholing again as a gorgeous TV producer who requires coaching on how to get a man in “The Ugly Truth.”
The implausible role is one of many absurdities in this silly film, co-starring Gerard Butler as a macho chauvinist whose crude ramblings on male-female relationships have made him a cable TV star in Sacramento, California. When he’s hired by Heigl’s rival station to pump up the morning ratings, the conflict between his tabloid antics (he wrestles with scantily clad women in a tub of Jell-O) and her sober news judgment sparks trouble -- though not for long.
It turns out that Heigl’s character is clueless about men and seeks Butler’s advice on how to snag her neighbor, a hunky doctor (Eric Winter) who rescues her when she gets stuck in a tree hanging upside down. As Heigl and Butler get to know each other better, their cold war thaws and ... well, you can figure out the rest.
The premise is as simple as a sitcom, and the presentation isn’t much more sophisticated. Most of the fault lies with the sophomoric screenplay by Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, which relies far too much on gags like Heigl talking dirty and the husband-and-wife co-anchors (Cheryl Hines, John Michael Higgins) making out on the set. Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde,” “Monster-in-Law”) doesn’t help matters with his lethargic direction.
Only the natural charms of Heigl and Butler prevent a total disaster. And that’s the ugly truth.
“The Ugly Truth,” from Columbia Pictures, opens tomorrow across the U.S. Rating: *1/2
‘Shrink’
“Shrink” melds shopworn Hollywood stereotypes with an increasingly familiar genre -- multiple stories told in overlapping vignettes. The result, not surprisingly, is a stale film that seems like a second-rate imitation of Robert Altman.
Despite a strong performance by Kevin Spacey as a depressed, pot-smoking psychiatrist with a best-selling self- help book, Jonas Pate’s black comedy is basically a collection of caricatures strung together in lieu of a coherent screenplay.
Spacey’s shrink is even more screwed up than his patients and friends, including a hypochondriac agent (Dallas Roberts), a fading actress (Saffron Burrows), a frustrated screenwriter (Mark Webber) working as a valet, and a stoner (Jesse Plemons) who sells marijuana while riding through a car wash.
Dope Smoker
There’s also a troubled young black girl (Keke Palmer) who, like Spacey, is still reeling from the suicide of a loved one. The shrink is in no shape to help her or anyone else.
The dark mood is underscored by constant close-ups of Spacey’s scruffy, baggy-eyed face and shots of him smoking dope in a barren lot outside his office. Dr. Phil would not approve.
“Shrink,” from Roadside Attractions, opens tomorrow in New York and Los Angeles. Rating: *1/2
After getting impregnated by a homely slacker in “Knocked Up” and playing a perennial bridesmaid in “27 Dresses,” Heigl defies pigeonholing again as a gorgeous TV producer who requires coaching on how to get a man in “The Ugly Truth.”
The implausible role is one of many absurdities in this silly film, co-starring Gerard Butler as a macho chauvinist whose crude ramblings on male-female relationships have made him a cable TV star in Sacramento, California. When he’s hired by Heigl’s rival station to pump up the morning ratings, the conflict between his tabloid antics (he wrestles with scantily clad women in a tub of Jell-O) and her sober news judgment sparks trouble -- though not for long.
It turns out that Heigl’s character is clueless about men and seeks Butler’s advice on how to snag her neighbor, a hunky doctor (Eric Winter) who rescues her when she gets stuck in a tree hanging upside down. As Heigl and Butler get to know each other better, their cold war thaws and ... well, you can figure out the rest.
The premise is as simple as a sitcom, and the presentation isn’t much more sophisticated. Most of the fault lies with the sophomoric screenplay by Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, which relies far too much on gags like Heigl talking dirty and the husband-and-wife co-anchors (Cheryl Hines, John Michael Higgins) making out on the set. Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde,” “Monster-in-Law”) doesn’t help matters with his lethargic direction.
Only the natural charms of Heigl and Butler prevent a total disaster. And that’s the ugly truth.
“The Ugly Truth,” from Columbia Pictures, opens tomorrow across the U.S. Rating: *1/2
‘Shrink’
“Shrink” melds shopworn Hollywood stereotypes with an increasingly familiar genre -- multiple stories told in overlapping vignettes. The result, not surprisingly, is a stale film that seems like a second-rate imitation of Robert Altman.
Despite a strong performance by Kevin Spacey as a depressed, pot-smoking psychiatrist with a best-selling self- help book, Jonas Pate’s black comedy is basically a collection of caricatures strung together in lieu of a coherent screenplay.
Spacey’s shrink is even more screwed up than his patients and friends, including a hypochondriac agent (Dallas Roberts), a fading actress (Saffron Burrows), a frustrated screenwriter (Mark Webber) working as a valet, and a stoner (Jesse Plemons) who sells marijuana while riding through a car wash.
Dope Smoker
There’s also a troubled young black girl (Keke Palmer) who, like Spacey, is still reeling from the suicide of a loved one. The shrink is in no shape to help her or anyone else.
The dark mood is underscored by constant close-ups of Spacey’s scruffy, baggy-eyed face and shots of him smoking dope in a barren lot outside his office. Dr. Phil would not approve.
“Shrink,” from Roadside Attractions, opens tomorrow in New York and Los Angeles. Rating: *1/2
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