The Ugly Truth is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. The film was released in North America on July 24, 2009 by Columbia Pictures, and was panned by critics, with the Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus stating that "despite the best efforts of Butler and Heigl", the film "suffers from a weak script that relies on romantic comedy formula". It was a commercial success, grossing $205 million against a budget of $38 million.