The freshman effort by screenwriting duo Kristen Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, “10 Things I Hate About You,” has gone on to become the “Sixteen Candles” of a generation. The years have been kind to the film and watching it today, it still is as fresh, sexy and funny as it was when it was first released… not to mention responsible for having launched the careers of Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger. Since its success, Eastman and Lutz have gone on to have a steady string of hits over the years, such as “Legally Blonde” and “The House Bunny.” Their latest collaboration, The Ugly Truth, re-teams the ladies with “Blonde” director Robert Luketic, but unfortunately, lightning does not strike twice for the filmmaking team.

The plot follows Abby (Katherine Heigl), a morning show producer with serious dating issues. You see, Abby is a tightly-wound control freak who uses a checklist and background checks to gauge her compatibility with dates. One night, she calls into a dating-advice show hosted by the in-your-face chauvinist, Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler) and is told that her way of living will leave her single for life if she keeps it up. In an ironic twist of fate, the very next day it turns out that her network has hired Mike and, of course, they immediately butt heads. However, they make a bet: if his dating tips don’t help her land the hot doctor who lives next door, he’ll quit the show. Hijinks ensue as Abby tries to land and hold onto the dreamy doc with the help of Mike, while she and Mike eventually grow closer and, of course, fall in love.

Comedic acting seems to be a real issue with the cast. While Gerard Butler is a fine actor, comedy seems slightly out of his reach. He lacks the timing and the delivery that comedy needs; and while he can hide his Scottish accent fairly well, it does occasionally slip, taking the viewer right out of the films world. Katherine Heigl suffers similarly. While the writing is probably at least partially to blame, she makes Abby one of the most annoyingly unlikable characters seen in film. Abby is uptight and controlling, with more than a few obsessive-compulsive tendencies. She whines and freaks out with great frequency, which in turn makes her extremely annoying and unsympathetic. The two leads also have no real chemistry together and the only reason why the viewer knows the two will end up together is because this type of film dictates it be so.

The movie suffers the most, however, from being gratuitously crude, unfunny and cliché. Expletives are thrown around without care; jokes consistently feel forced, falling flat; and gags from other films that were edgy 20 years ago are poorly recycled. The best example of all three problems put together is a scene that was obviously influenced by an infamous scene in “When Harry Met Sally,” a much stronger, and much better made film. The entire sequence seems forced and thrown in to get a cheap laugh and some recognition... as does the whole movie.

“The Ugly Truth” tries to be different and edgy, but ends up being something the viewer has seen a million times before. Embarrassing to watch, it really is a shame considering the filmmakers’ previous track record. The movie fails in almost all aspects, with its only real success being that it proves once and for all that just because something is crass, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s funny.