4 Film Collection: Ugly Truth/Couples Retreat/Intolerable Crulety/Knocked Up DVD

Collection of four US relationship comedies. ‘The Ugly Truth’ (2009) is a battle-of-the-sexes starring Katherine Heigl as Abby Richter, a romantically-challenged TV producer whose fruitless search for Mr Perfect has left her terminally single. When she becomes reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests devised by chauvinistic correspondent Mike (Gerard Butler) to prove his theories on relationships and supposedly help her in her quest for love, she is taken aback by the dramatic – and unexpected – results. ‘Couples Retreat’ (2009) was co-written by and stars Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. Four couples go on holiday together to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples has taken the break for the purpose of working on their marriage, the other three are there purely to enjoy the spa, sea and sun. They soon discover, however, that the therapy sessions that come with the holiday package are compulsory rather than voluntary. Consequently, they are forced to participate and, as a result, all the everyday problems faced by each couple are exposed to humorous effect. Jason Bateman, Malin Ackerman and Kristin Davis co-star. ‘Intolerable Cruelty’ (2003), from the highly acclaimed Coen brothers, sees George Clooney as Miles Massey, a divorce lawyer who always wins his case until he comes head to head with the scheming, money-grabbing, yet alluring, Mrs Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Miles and Marilyn each embark on their own ruthless romantic missions to outdo one another and amass great wealth. ‘Knocked Up’ (2007), written and directed by Judd Apatow, sees slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) and up-and-coming career girl Alison (Heigl) meet at a bar and end up having a one night stand. Eight weeks later, Ben is shocked when Alison asks to meet up with him and reveals that she is pregnant. Despite having little in common, the two decide that they have to at least try to make some kind of relationship work for the baby’s sake.