It's a mix of Aristophanes "Lysistrata" and Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" and just about all the Hollywood versions of the battle of the sexes. The battle's between a foul-mouthed, dirty-minded, sometimes clever TV star of "The Ugly Truth" about men vs women (Gerard Butler), and a (sometimes) clever producer (Katherine Heigl) of a similar but milder TV version of the same theme. Butler's hired to improve the latter show's flagging ratings. There's a boy-meets-girl plot that follows, complicated only briefly with the introduction of another romantic party (a weak Eric Winter) before the psychobabble between Meg Ryan & Billy Crystal - oops, I mean Geigl & Butler finally, unsurprisingly bed.
It's a chick flick. There are a few laughs here, Geigl shows little talent but enough of her body to titillate, and Robert Luketic directs adequately but not inspiringly. Script by Nicole Eastman, who's no Nora Ephron. Russell Carpenter's camera work is still less inspiring, though it does its best to reveal Geigl in her best light.
This is a movie that President Obama should have called "stupid," because it fits here far better than in his hastily made statement a few days ago. It's a movie that will please any women who consider Danielle Steele today's Jane Austin. Nearly 2 1/2 hours of wasted time.