Here's the groundbreaking premise of Columbia Pictures' new movie The Ugly Truth: Men think differently from women. To that end, after the movie screened at the ArcLight's Dome, organizers put together a party at Boulevard3 that spoke to the point of view of the male lead in the film, who espouses that women's sexuality alone is what attracts men. Columbia Pictures' Alison Bossert oversaw the event—the scale of which she said was on par with other studio releases this summer—tapping Benarroch Productions to produce.
Stripper-esque female dancers writhed on platforms at the front of the party space, and on the central decor piece: a giant bed dressed in lace and satiny linens in Valentine's Day-inspired tones. Heart-shaped throw pillows dotted furniture, and side lamps in the form of mini cherry blossom trees added pops of white light. Logo gobos bearing the movie's title decked the party space. "[For Gerard Butler, the male lead in the film], there was always some sexual element of 'How do you get a guy? By being sexy, by how you look,'" said producer Chris Benarroch. "So we played into that by bringing the girls in. It was kitschy, and it was just fun."
DJ Mr. Best spun for the crowd of about 650 guests, who sipped on cocktails like vodka and Red Bull (Heigl's character's preferred pick-me-up), and munched on an assortment of cupcakes from Sprinkles. Flat-screen monitors showed film clips.
Despite L.A. residents' walking-averse reputation, guests didn't seem reluctant to walk the few blocks from the screening to the party—on a particularly nice night in town. "[Asking guests to walk] is always a challenge. Usually you like to have your party right in the same complex, but it was a beautiful night, and it was nice to walk," said Benarroch. "And [Boulvard3] is a really nice venue. It's all-inclusive, so this was really fiscally responsible. It still felt like a fun night without having to go into a parking lot and build out a $1 million event. Everything was accomplished and everyone had a good time."
Bossert added, "We wanted the party to have a breezy, relaxed feeling, and Boulevard3 accomplished that. With it being such a beautiful night, I think the guests enjoyed the short stretch."
Benarroch reported that a reveling Butler was the last person to leave, at about 12:45 a.m.
