In Hollywood’s summer season of superheroes and action-adventures, Mike Myers’ “The Love Guru” comes across as a goofball comedy. As the name itself suggests the movie is a take off on the self-styled spiritual leaders, with no spirituality in them. The movie is a satire on these so-called “Gurus” who fool gullible people with nonsensical jargon.

Written by Myers and Graham Gordy, the movie is a clumsy parody of the cross-cultural style of mass-market yogis. Directed by debutant Marco Schnabel, the movie has been drawing a lot of flack for its crude and sexual content. Due to it comic violence and drug reference the movie has been given a MPAA Rating of PG-13.

“The Love Guru” has been produced at a budget of $60 million dollars by Michael De Luca Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The movie stars the likes of Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Mako, Meagan Good, Omid Djalili and Ben Kingsley.

The story centers on Guru Pitka played by Mike Myers, brought up in an ashram in India by gurus, where he was abandoned as a child. He moves back to US as a philosopher of Eastern beliefs in search of fame and fortune. He then sets up shop in Los Angeles and New York as a self-help guru who teaches people how to love themselves.

Guru Pitka’s prowess as a Love Guru is brought to test when he is asked to settle the rift between star hockey player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) and his estranged wife. The dullard Jessica Alba plays Jane Bullard the owner of the Hockey team, Toronto Maple Leaf, who employs “The Love Guru” to assist Roanoke in overcoming his troubles.

Out of revenge Roanoke’s wife starts dating LA Kings Star Jacques Grande played by Justin Timberlake. This sends her husband into a major professional skid and causes his game to fall to pieces to the utter distress and horror of the teams’ owner and the coach Cherkov, played by Verne Toyer. It then becomes essential for them to get Roanoke back on his game in order for the team to break the 40-year old “Bullard Curse” and win the Stanley Cup. Guru Pitka’s help is thus enlisted to bring the couple back to marital nirvana and save the day for the team.

Mike Myers as Guru Pitka is a one-man production number with his Rasputin beard, waxed curlicue mustache and eyebrows that arch and swoop like a roller coaster. He plays a pop philosopher, a self-styled wannabe who yearns to seize Deepak Chopra’s mantel as the favorite spiritual guide of Americans. By the end of the movie Deepak Chopra himself makes an appearance to give the Love Guru his blessings.

The Movie has already managed to get its share of flak for its crude portrayal of Hindu
spiritual leaders, by the Indian community in the US.

“The Love Guru” has received its share of blistering reviews. A review in particular pans the comedy saying, Unfuckingbelievably unspeakably awful. The Love Guru is astonishingly rancid. There’s a part of me, that wants The Love Guru to make like 75 Million opening weekend. Why? So that the entire - giant film going audience marks Mike Myers’ death as a comedian.”

Moira Macdonald in the Seattle Times calls it “preadolescent humour with a few sitars thrown in”

Michael Phillips from the Chicago Tribune writes, ” We’re talking 15 or 20 minutes of decent material. The movie runs a little longer than that,” while Bill Goodykoontz from the Arizona Republic complains, “When the funniest line in the movie is an outtake from Verne Troyer, you’ve got problems.”
Los Angeles Times writer Tom O’Neil who tracks films up for major awards in his column ‘Gold Derby’ is prdicting that “The Love Guru” has definite good chances to receive an award, The Razzie, for the Worst Film of the Year.

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