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Year Released 2008
Duration 86
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The Love Guru
Editorial ReviewMovie Summary
Movie Genre:
Comedy
Rated:
M
Director:
Marco Schnabel
Starring:
Ben Kingsley, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Meagan Good, Mike Myers
Editorial Review
As guru Pitka, Myers is on a mission to become the world's greatest self-help guru, unseating Deepak Chopra, with whom he was raised, from the throne. Needing a high profile win to cement his reputation, it comes in the shape of Jessica Alba's Jane, who owns the Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey team. Her star player, Darren Roanoke (Malco), has lost his skills since his estranged wife started dating rival hockey player Jacques Grande (Timberlake), the goalkeeper for the LA Kings, who the Maple Leafs just happen to be facing off against in the finals.
The problems begin with the niggling feeling that we've seen all this before, from the “did you see that?!” expressions to the play-on-words skits and “hilariously”-named characters (Guru Satchabigknoba), and end with the fact that so few of the gags are actually funny. Even worse is that he receives such poor support from his cast - Alba is like a cardboard cutout, Verne Troyer proves he'll make himself the brunt of any joke, and the cast of cameos (Jessica Simpson, Val Kilmer, Kanye West) are merely pointless eye candy. Justin Timberlake tries hard and occasionally scores, but Malco is the only one here concerned with punching above his weight.
Only when Pitka initiates Bollywood-style musical romps of songs such as 'The Joker' and '9 To 5' does the film come alive, hinting at what could have been. As it is, the biggest laugh you'll get is from an outtake as the credits are rolling.
There is nothing to love here.
Simon Jones
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