Please Explain How The Ugly Truth Is Good For WomenS  Few have
tried to defend today's romantic comedies, maybe because in that
category, money does most of the talking. Still, here is
producer Lynda Obst striking out on their behalf — and,
apparently, against New York Times critic Manohla Dargis.  Obst,
whose producing credits include How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,
Hope Floats, One Fine Day, and Sleepless In Seattle, bemoans the
fact that Kathryn Bigelow's success last year "set off a torrent
of sniping among the chattering class of women critics. Instead
of celebrating this year's impressive box office numbers, and
our all-too-few female directors (and even fewer writer-
directors), it served as a launching pad for attacks on the
romantic comedy."  She never names these critics, though
Dargis's is the only negative criticism of the genre she links
to. She wonders, "Are the critics who belittle these movies
dyspeptic? Are they self-hating women? Are they other-women-
haters who want to be the only woman on the