Cinema Review: The Love Guru
7 08 2008
What could possibly be worse than the site of Ben Kingsley playing a boss-eyed Indian called Guru Tugginmypudha?
How about the fact that you have paid to watch Mike Myers have considerably more fun than you and the creeping realisation that ever since he put Wayne’s World away you have done so time and time again?
Yeah, the second is definitely worse and, unfortunately it’s exactly the sensation that you experience about ten minutes into The Love Guru. It probably wouldn’t be so galling if you didn’t suspect that Myers seems to be all to aware of it as well and has decided to rub your face in it by endowing his latest creation, Guru Pitka, with the rather annoying habit of laughing at his own jokes. That, however, is not where the annoyance stops…
Guru Pitka is hired by the owner of an ice hockey team (Jessica Alba) to restore their star player’s confidence following a marital split. In just that very short description you have two giant targets (the most wishy-washy end of the self help industry and the inflated egos of major sports stars), either of which could have a film in it’s own right, but Myers only teases gently when he should go for broke and saves his biggest jabs for fans of Celine Dion - the recent Dwayne Johnson kid’s comedy The Game Plan has more chops than this.
I have no problem in saying that this is one of the least funny films that I have seen in a long time. I do have a soft spot for Myers (Wayne Campbell was such a nice character) but feel that with The Love Guru he has joined the ranks of Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in churning out films that have more to do with self satisfaction than actual entertainment.
2/10 - and it only scores that high because of an admittedly catchy cover of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.
…and another thing - what is it with The Daily Show alumni that makes them appear in such utter rubbish when they go for the big screen?
I know Jon Stewart is always willing to mock himself for appearing in dribble such as Death To Smoochy but with both John Oliver and Steve Colbert appearing in this it’s starting to look like a curse.
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Tags : 9 to 5, Ben Kingsley, Celine Dion, Death To Smoochy, Dolly Parton, Dwayne Johnson, Eddie Murphy, Guru Pitka, Jessica Alba, John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Martin Lawrence, Mike Myers, Steve Colbert, The Daily Show, The Game Plan, The Love Guru, Wayne's World
Categories : Cinema, Reviews
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