The ugly truth.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_Truth_(film)


The Ugly Truth is a 2009 American romantic comedy film starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. 


Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a morning show TV producer in Sacramento, California. Coming home from a disastrous date, she happens to see a segment of a local television show, "The Ugly Truth," featuring Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), whose cynicism about relationships prompts Abby to call in to argue with him on-air. The next day, she discovers the TV station is threatening to cancel her show because of its poor ratings. The station owner has hired Mike to do a segment on her show.


Abby thinks Mike is crass and disgusting while Mike finds her to be naive and a control freak. Nevertheless, when she meets the man of her dreams, a doctor named Colin (Eric Winter) living next to her, Mike convinces her that by following his advice she will improve her chances with Colin. Abby is skeptical, but they make a deal: If Mike's management of her courtship results in her landing Colin, proving his theories on relationships, she will work happily with him, but if Mike fails, he agrees to leave her show.

Mike succeeds in improving the ratings, brings married co-anchors Georgia and Larry closer and successfully instructs Abby to be exactly what Colin would want through a number of pointers including: always laugh at his jokes and say he is amazing in bed. Mike is invited to appear on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and is offered a job at another network. Abby is forced to cancel a romantic weekend away with Colin, during which they had planned to finally sleep together, and instead fly to Los Angeles to persuade Mike to stay with her show.

They drink and dance. Mike admits he doesn't want to move because he wants to stay in Sacramento near his sister and nephew. In the hotel elevator, they passionately kiss, but go to their separate rooms. Mike, dealing with the intensity of his feelings for Abby, calls on her room only to find Colin has shown up to surprise her. He leaves. Abby is upset and soon realizes Colin only likes the woman she has been pretending to be, not the real her. She breaks up with him.

Mike takes the job with the other TV station, but ends up doing a broadcast at the same hot-air balloon festival as Abby. He cannot resist intruding when she kicks the new "Mike Chadway" imitator off the air and goes into a tirade about men. The balloon takes off while they argue. Abby says she broke up with Colin, and Mike admits he loves her. Abby kisses him while they fly off, all of which is broadcast due to a camera mounted in the balloon. The film ends with Abby and Mike in bed. When Mike asks if he is really that good, Abby smirks and responds, "You'll never know."

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The film was, for the most part, filmed on location in California, including Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Pedro, Los Angeles. The montage sequence toward the end of the film includes the Foresthill Bridge near Auburn.

New plan for coursework:

I'm going to compare the representation of women in comedies, BUT, I've had an idea.


The difference between american and british films.


Focus films:
Tamara Drewe (A British Comedy.)
The Ugly Truth (An American Comedy.)
Bridget Jones Diary (A British film with American Funding.)

Representation of women in British Comedy - Tamara Drewe.

• Directed by Steve Frears.
• Starring: Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Tasmin Greig, Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans and Bill Camp.
• BBC Films.
• UK Film Council.
• Funded by the national lottery.
  
  Synopsis from IMDB:Once the ugly duckling in the Dorset village of Ewedown, Tamara Drewe returns to sell her late mother's house, now a glamorous journalist with a life-changing nose job. She awakens feelings in sexy old flame, Andy, the decent odd job man at pretentious author Nicholas Hardiment's writers' school and in Nicholas himself, a serial philanderer who cheats on his loyal wife Beth. But Tamara has a new man in her life, Ben, an obnoxious rock drummer whose marriage proposal she accepts, to the dismay of local girl - and Ben's biggest fan - Jody. Jody's efforts to sabotage the engagement lead to Tamara, on the rebound and finding Andy in the arms of another, allowing Nicholas to have his wicked way with her, and also allowing it to be photographed and sent to a distraught Beth. Beth's secret admirer, American writer Glen, confronts Nicholas out in the fields, but Ben's dog Boss has got loose and has caused a local farmer's cattle to stampede towards them..
  
• Tamara Drewe was once the 'ugly duckling'
• Now a glam, successful journalist.
• Rural settings.
• Lack of special effects.
• Conflict between rural and urban.
• Love octogon.
  
  Representation of women: 
• Older women are more traditional, both in dress sense and morals.
• Easily fascinated.
• Competitive.
• Easily amused.
• Body conscious.
• Observant.
• Relied on my men. 
• Stereotypical roles.
• Blackmail.
• Manipulative.
• Stylish.
• Demanding.
• Pastel Colour Scheme (Clothing)
• Rebellious.
• Curious.
• Sarcastic.
• Simple lifestyles.
• Doesn't wear too much make-up.
• Has good intentions.
• Works to please men.
• 'Not good enough'.
• Dramatic.
• Insignificant.
• Expressive.
• Judgmental.
• Agony Aunt.
• Vulnerable.
  
  Teenagers are:
• Bad mouthed.
• Jealous.
• Rebellious.
• Selfish.
• Stupid.
• Obsessive.
• Judgmental.
• Expressive.
• Dramatic.
• Sarcastic.
• Curious.
• Body Conscious.
• Easily fascinated.
  
  Tamara Drewe.
• Well spoken.
• Polite.
• Casually dressed.
• Hard working.
• Used to have a big nose.
• Underwent a nose job.
• Victim of bullying 'beaky'.
• Body Conscious.
• Upfront.
• What she wants, she gets.
• Methodical.
• Vulnerable.
• Finds it hard to trust.
• Honest.
• Complex.
• Confused.
• Active.
• In control.
• Happily ever after.
• Punched in the face, new nose was destroyed.

Small scale research project.

1) Annotated catalogue - 10-15 items.

2) Presentation script - 1000-1,500 words.

3) Put it into a statement.

-Film related topic area.

-Context:

      -Star.

      -Genre.

      -Technology.

      -Social / political context.

      -Auteur.

• Representation of women in American comedies.

Focus films.

• The proposal (2009)

Synopsis from IMDB. 
For three years, Andrew Paxton has slaved as the assistant to Margaret Tate, hard-driving editor at a New York publisher. When Margaret, a Canadian, faces deportation for an expired visa, she hatches a scheme to marry Andrew - he agrees if she'll promise a promotion. A skeptical INS agent vows to test the couple about each other the next Monday. Andrew had plans to fly home that weekend for his grandma's 90th, so Margaret goes with him - to Sitka, Alaska - where mom, dad, and grams await. Family dynamics take over: tensions between dad and Andrew, an ex-girlfriend, Andrew's dislike of Margaret, and her past color the next few days, with the INS ready to charge Andrew with fraud.

Support films.

• All about steve.  (2009)

Synopsis from IMDB.

Mary Horowitz writes crossword puzzles for the Sacramento Herald. She's loquacious to a fault. When kids at a career day make fun of her for being single, she accepts a blind date with Steve, the cameraman for a CNN-like news network. Within minutes she decides he's the man for her. He's quickly put off by her constant verbiage and over-the-top advances; he makes an off-hand remark about going on the road with her, and splits. She's moonstruck, writes a sappy crossword puzzle, loses her job, and decides to follow him as the news team crisscrosses the Southwest; Steve's team eggs her on. Then she falls in a mine shaft, and she and Steve become a story; is it a love story?

• The ugly truth. (2009)

Synopsis from IMDB.

Romantically challenged morning show producer is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result.

-- British film - Tamara Drewe - notes for comparison?