How is it that the absolute worst "chick flicks" of the summer were written by women? It took three of them to pen The Ugly Truth, but only one — Kim Barker — to conceive the sad stalker tale at the center of Phil Traill's freshman feature. Movies don't get much worse.
Even though it's billed as a comedy, you won't be laughing. But you will be cringing through Sandra Bullock's performance as Mary Horowitz, a socially inept crossword-puzzle constructor who won't go anywhere without her bright red vinyl boots. You might think those are the reason she's a 40ish spinster — at least, you might until she opens her mouth.
A know-it-all (that goes with her job, at least), she knows she's met her match when her parents set her up on a blind date with Steve (Bradley Cooper), a cable-news cameraman. And Steve knows to run like hell as she chases him across four states. The film isn't even really about Steve. They should have called it "There's Something Insane About Mary."