The Love Guru

I have now seen all of Mike Myers' films in which he plays a starring role, and this is definitely the worst. He has proved that he is a very funny man with the likes of Austin Powers and Wayne's World but he seemed to have forgotten all what made those movies funny with The Love Guru. It's pretty bad, though slightly better than its reputation. Though not much.

There are hardly any jokes that are funny, and 95% are toilet humour or sex jokes. And not funny ones. I laughed maybe 3 times throughout, one of which in the credits with Verne Troyer. It's not helped by the fact that the Guru Pitka is an unlikeable character. For some reason Myers laughs at his own bad jokes often in this film, possibly in the hope you'll join in. Maybe you will out of sympathy.

When a decent joke pops up Myers usually ruins it by explaining the joke, like with the crocodile soup one. You don't need to explain a joke Mike! You usually didn't do that in your previous films, so why do it here? Myers comic timing here is hit and miss, sometimes it's decent enough such as when he stares at the camera for a split second after Bohemian Rhapsody starts playing in a car (Wayne's world reference) but sometimes he just never demonstrates this quality at all. Comedy is all about timing, Mike Myers nailed it perfectly in the first Austin Powers, so he clearly has (or did have) the ability.

It's hard to believe this had such a high budget as it looks appears cheap in terms of its effects and obviously it's content. The acting is not great from Jessica Alba, Sir Ben Kingsley makes an appearance and I suppose does the best he could have done with the material. Mike Myers is a funny guy, I am surprised that such a capable comedian could come up with such a poor film.

The story could have been interesting but it wasn't. Needed far better writing. Myers was given too much control and needed someone to say no, these ideas are no good. It's a shame to see it as he was once so funny. I did enjoy the rendition of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 at the start, Myers is a surprisingly good singer. I also appreciated the unpretentiousness of the film, it's aware that it's not that good and it never strives to be anything else than a lowbrow comedy.

Overall though this is a film that is not worth seeing and I would rate it 4/10.

It was heavy-handed, painful and endless. The opposite of funny. An excruciating bunch of penis jokes strung together with some gross-out scenes. Wow! Penises can be short! Penises can be long! Oh, hahaha! Oh, and who can forget the musical numbers. Did I mention that they were choreographed? Mike Myers has lost the charm he exhibited in the Austin Powers franchise. And it's clear that he picked an inexperienced director for this so he could control the shoot. And why does Jessica Alba keep doing crappy movies like this and "Good Luck, Chuck"? Did someone tell her she was a comedienne? And Justin Timberlake -- well, no wonder he wears a wig and moustache throughout. Ironically, though the material is definitely for teen-aged boys, they probably won't go to see it because of the title. It'll maybe have one weekend, then go flaccid. Incidentally, the only truly memorable line in the entire mess is from Verne Troyer in an outtake run with the credits. But it's not worth watching the entire mess to hear it.

I may be a bit generous with the star-rating system, true. But I do know what I was feeling after the credits started rolling. Disappointment. And don't get me wrong. I am a huge Mike Myers fan. I am a devout fan of Austin Powers, Wayne's World (where's #3 in the series???), and, actually, yes, I did enjoy Cat in the Hat, although it was not a piece of art. And I understand if fans of Mike Myers will still go to see this film. I did after all, even after reading the terrible reviews. Sadly, this time, the critics were correct. Mike knows better. The director should've known better. Mike Myers's return to live action comedy is more than disappointing. Even the character, Your Holiness the Guru Pitka, was unlikeable (which is a first for a Mike Myers character). He was so full of himself, so damn selfish, no one cared if he succeeded. His giggle-fits were too common to spark a slight giggle from the audience. And although the women in the film were pure eye-candy (Jessica Alba, Meagan Good, even Mariska Hargitay and Jessica Simpson made cameos), they became little more than that with such a flat script. Sorry Mike. Maybe next time. A fourth Austin Powers would be quite a way to get back in the game with your biggest fans:)

To call this the worst movie of the year, or the worst movie ever shown in theaters, is sheer pompousness at its best.

That being said; this is by no means a great movie. It is hilariously crude, random, and quirky, but the humour is obviously not for everyone. The Love Guru uses a tried, but true, comedy formula and rarely strays from it. However; some of the off-the-wall jokes will have you laughing your face off, and will keep returning to your mind, making you laugh days after you watched the film. The acting is par, and Steven Colbert delivers the funniest performance I've seen in a long while.

Don't go into this film looking for genius or groundbreaking comedy mastery; go into this film expecting a decent laugh which you won't regret.

Mike Myers is a talented guy, but this vehicle is an embarrassment. The funniest parts are gleefully juvenile, but they are, unfortunately, outnumbered by gags that are simply juvenile or, worse yet, juvenile and mean-spirited. For example, some of the jokes directed at Verne Troyer's character sound like they were uttered by a 15-year-old classroom bully, not written by an intelligent man in his forties. I'm all in favor of offending PC sensibilities whenever possible, but do it right: cracks about Keebler elves show are just stupid and artistically lazy.

More scenes of young Pitka might have explained better how he grew into the adult he became, and Rajneesh could have been fleshed out a bit. I suspect that a lot of character development and back story were left on the cutting room floor. What should have been cut were the cameos that were either pointless or self-referential without being truly funny.

The plot wasn't exactly Citizen Kane quality, but it could have worked with better writing. After all, if anything cries out for satiric treatment, it's the self-help and New Age movements. With such target-rich subject matter, how did Myers manage to make such a dud? I think that it's a case of plain self-indulgence. Jim Carrey and Robin Williams are two other talented, over-the-top funny men who do some of their best work when they show restraint and don't play themselves. Someone should have reined in Myers on this one.

For his penance, I suggest that he lay off comedy for a while and do a few dramatic roles - including supporting ones - as he did (quite well) in "54." Williams and Carrey have shown other dimensions of themselves in dramatic roles, and I'm sure Myers can, too.