The Ugly Truth (2009)

Abby (Katherine Heigl) is a tightly organised TV producer whose love life never gets going. Mike (Gerard Butler), the crude host of a cynical relationship show, is brought in by the station to boost her ratings. When Abby meets Colin (Eric Winter), a doctor, Mike offers to coach her. The deal: if his advice lands her Colin, she works with him in peace; if not, he leaves.

What it shows about dating

It is a mainstream comedy built around a dating coach. Mike’s thesis is that men are simple and respond to looks and ease, not to lists and plans. His tips are crude and often wrong, and critics found the film heavy-handed. Still, parts of it ring true: she is trying too hard, and a looser, more playful version of herself changes how men react.

What you can learn

• Relax the interview. Treating a date like a job screening kills attraction.
• Play and tease. Light humour and visible enjoyment draw people in.
• Don’t become someone else to win. Abby’s act works, and then she realises Colin likes only the woman she has been pretending to be.

Treat Mike’s sweeping claims about “what men want” as a caricature, not research.