‘Truth’ or dare

As Esquire proved in a recent issue, to many, Gerard Butler is a superstar who isn’t. The guy can walk down the street unnoticed like few other actors who’ve started in a bona fide blockbuster. But as King Leonidas in 300, Butler proved little more than that he could whip his abs into washboard shape and turn his ruthless meter to 11. The Ugly Truth, out Friday, is his chance to soften his guy’s guy image. Butler stars as a caddish TV reporter who shows his always-single producer Katherine Heigl how to keep a man’s interest. Of course, as Heigl runs the traps of his romantic strategies, the co-workers grow closer than either one intended in this romantic comedy. Cheryl Hines, Bree Turner and Eric Winter co-star. Rated R. (Photo courtesy Columbia Tristar Marketing Group)