DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: June 20, 2008
Rating: PG-13 (crude and sexual content throughout, language, some comic violence and drug references)
Genre: Comedy
Run Time: 88 min.
Directors: Marco Schnabel
Actors: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Verne Troyer, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Stephen Colbert, Ben Kingsley
I learned three valuable things from sitting through this summer’s most unfunny movie,
The Love Guru.
- Mike Myers really should’ve gone ahead and made Austin Powers 4 instead. If you can believe it, the swinger spy’s antics were far more clever and classy in comparison.
- Jessica Alba could really use a new agent. After signing on for this, The Eye and Good Luck Chuck, you just have to wonder what’s she’s turning down.
- When lacking fresh comedic inspiration, poop, snot and male anatomy jokes are really, really funny, and I’ve just missed this somehow. Shame on me.
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If you’ve seen the trailer, no doubt you’ve probably noticed that The Love Guru is not going to be on anyone’s short list of potential Oscar nominees. But if a cross-eyed, cheesy accent-sporting Ben Kingsley as Guru Tuggininmypudha wasn’t enough to tip you off, be warned: The Guru is far worse than you think. In fact, the only “comedy” that slightly edges it out in terms of truly lowbrow, adolescent boy humor was the recent barely-seen stoner flick, Strange Wilderness.
With a goofball character that merits a five-minute Saturday Night Live sketch (and that’s being extremely generous) Mike Myers plays Guru Pitka, an American who grew up in India and has quickly become the second most popular relationship guru to Deepak Chopra. Incidentally, the movie seems to be an ongoing commercial for Chopra as he’s name-checked more than Carrie’s signature Manolos in the Sex and the City movie.
Of course, Guru Pitka doesn’t like playing second fiddle to Chopra, so he’s thinking a high-profile appearance on Oprah should solidify his status as the Dr. Phil of relationships. But how exactly will he get Oprah’s attention?
Enter Jane Bullard (Alba), the pretty but “cursed” owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ever since she’s been the team’s owner after her parents passed away (and left the girl who doesn’t seem to have a huge interest in hockey in charge,) the Leafs’ fans have decided she’s cursed the team from ever winning the Stanley Cup. The logic is a bit faulty, considering they were good enough to make it all the way to the finals, but whatever. Since Jane is tired of being pelted with hot dogs night after night, she enlists the help of Guru Pitka—someone she says she admires greatly for reasons I’m not quite sure of.