Movie Review: The Love Guru

  Studio: Spyglass/Paramount Release date: June 20, 2008 Cast: Mike Myers (x 4), Jessica Alba, Romany Malco, Justin Timberlake, Meagan Good, Verne Troyer, Manu Narayan, Ben Kingsley, Omid Djalili, Telma Hopkins Special appearances: Kanye West, Jessica Simpson, Deepak Chopra, Mariska Hargitay   D.R.A.M.A. is the name of the game for Guru Pitka: Distraction, Regression, Adjustment, Maturity and Action.     In Mike Myers’ new comedy The Love Guru, it’s his character Guru Pitka’s mission to save a flailing relationship between two lovers in trouble. It sounds simple enough, but in this ensemble of quirky characters, the Guru has his work cut out for him.   The key words to remember if you’re going to see this film are the first two letters of Guru Pitka’s DRAMA philosophy – Distraction and Regression. As a grown, intelligent person, it’s immediately easy to turn up your nose at the p#### jokes, naughty names (when pronounced correctly) and other genitalia-related humor suited for a nine-year-old.   But allow yourself to Regress, and it’s actually not so hard to find a few good laughs in The Love Guru.   The story centers around Toronto Maple Leafs owner Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba) and the team’s star player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) – aka the “Tiger Woods of Hockey”- as he hits a losing streak when his wife Prudence (Meagan Good) falls for rival Jaques “Le Coq” Grandé (Justin Timberlake).   Of course, Jane enlists Guru Pitka to save the day, however the Guru’s initial intentions for taking the job are not as pure as his teachings from Guru Tugginmypuddah (Ben Kingsley). Say his name out loud… you’ll get it.   With other character names like Guru Satchabigknoba and Dick Pants, Mike Myers’ screenplay is riddled with some real groiners…er…groaners, yet successfully manages to make light of the big business of “spiritual enlightenment.” If you’ve seen any of the Austin Powers movies, then you already know what he’s capable of when it comes to making subtle social commentary within his silliness.   Romany Malco, who made us all laugh as the wild advice-giving friend in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, gives a decent performance as the earnest sports star with the mommy complex. And his mom, played by veteran actress Telma Hopkins, is no joke.  Meagan Good gets yet another good girl role as Prudence, but she manages to keep a straight face through her scenes with Justin Timberlake, who is really a standout ham in this movie.   Verne Troyer is believable as the cranky Coach Cherkov (yeah, say it out loud), as is the pleasant Manu Narayan as Pitka’s loyal, level-headed assistant Rajneesh. Ben Kingsley is kind of disturbing in his role as Pitka’s cross-eyed mentor (he was Ghandi after all), while Jessica Alba is mostly likeable as the self-doubting rich girl. And her Bollywood spoof in the film is strange, yet delightful.     Unfortunately, by the time you add in dozens of the aforementioned silly jokes, a few self-indulgent musical performances from Myers (which I actually enjoyed), and a couple of random elephant scenes, there are plenty of reasons for critics to hate this movie. In fact, I may have laughed more at some of the current reviews than I did at the movie itself.   The difference is, however, that my laughter at the reviews was more because I relate to the “I’m too old for this sh*t” attitude of the reviewers; while laughing through The Love Guru made me feel good… and oddly enough, enlightened.   Is this a movie for the family? Probably, because most of the dirty jokes will go over the little ones’ heads and they can still enjoy the movie – which means mom and dad can take a breather. Is it a good date movie? Probably not, because p#### jokes aren’t that romantic. Is it a good matinee flick to take a break from the ills of the world for some Distraction and Regression? Definitely.