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Out to own on DVD and Blu-ray 26th December
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Do you fancy a quick trip back to childhood? A few moments of ignorant bliss? Regressing to a time when farting was the height of your comedy act. If you enjoy the rude humour of the comic-legend Mike Myers (Shrek) then prepare yourself for a snorting giggle-fit. As the ‘Love Guru’, His Holiness the Guru Pitka, Myers embodies a no less sexually frustrated, but more spiritual Austin Powers-esque character. Co-written by Myers and Graham Gordy this typically toilet humour gag-fest is like a steamroller through a kids joke shop, but for a 12A, throws in some extra lewd comments for an ‘adult’ audience. Comedy based on insulting the vertically challenged Coach Cherkov (Verne Troyer), a replica of Mini Me farce, every character owning a foul double entendre name and slapstick moves drenched in Guru urine drowns a detached storyline.
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Guru Pitka’s spiritual quest into the money-hungry world of the self-help business is a weak driving force behind sing-song philosophical conferences, mocking Guru and Buddhist traditions worldwide. But, what fan of Mike Myers watches his crude antics as Austin Powers because Dr Evil is a real threat? Digging at the commercialized nature of the American industry, The Love Guru (although very original) features counseling sessions of base acronyms and farmyard chorus’s disappointingly fail to raise a snigger and flop into the cinema. So what is there to enjoy?
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The enigmatic classic Mike Myers, as Maurice/ Guru Pitka, an American in traditional Guru garb with bizarrely alluring camel-length eyelashes. Then, partnered with a chastity belt from the age of 12, bringing out Myer’s most cheap and childish humour to fill an Austin Powers-shaped hole. From a purely female point of view the sporting star, and hockey legend of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) fits the ‘eye candy’ component, despite his shaky reputation and choking nickname. For Jessica Alba (The Eye) fans, she is cast as the token beauty, the Maple Leafs’ owner Jane Bullard, a plain Jane in comparison to her more feisty roles in The Eye and Good Luck Chuck. And quirky comedian John Oliver, most commonly seen on Mock The Week, plays financial burden to Pitka, oddly named Dick Pants.
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It’s packed with a star-studded cast; Justin ‘Grande’ Timberlake (sadly slightly less desirable with an afro as a Speedo-clad lothario), Jessica Alba as the love interest, surprisingly not as central to the film as expected, with guest appearances from Kanye West, Jessica Simpson, business rival Deepak Chopra and Guru Pitka’s inspiration Mariska Hargitay.
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Roanoke’s moment of clarity (a pitfall in the dregs of toilet humour) is a fitting climax to this desperate compilation of Bollywood dance, juvenile nonsense, a moving sitar/guitar performance, breath-taking costumes and self-help books. If Myers has excelled with immature jokes throughout his comedy career, why change it? And enjoy silently snickering like a school girl in the back seats of the cinema.
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By Laura Taylor
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Synopsis
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Mike Myers plays young Maurice (a strange sight), brought up by India’s second greatest Guru, before returning to the United States later in life as His Holiness Guru Pitka. His plan: to commercialise the Buddhist traditions, break into the self-help business for fame and fortune and find self-fulfillment. His first challenge, set by owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba) to break the ‘Bullard Curse’ by fixing star player, Darren Roanoke’s (Romany Malco) love life. To reunite Roanoke with the wife who abandoned him for rival player Jaques Grande (Justin Timberlake), Guru Pitka must make him face his spiritual demons through the process of D.R.A.M.A. and win the Stanley Cup.
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Film Facts
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Official site: http://www.lovegurumovie.com/
UK Release Date:
DVD and Blu-ray 26th December
Director: Marco Schnabel
Writers: Mike Myers and Graham Gordy
Cast: Mike Myers (‘Guru Pitka/ Young Pitka/ Teenage Pitka/ Himself’), Jessica Alba (‘Jane Bullard’), Justin Timberlake (‘Jaques Grande’), Romany Malco (‘Darren Roanoke’)
UK Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Certificate: 12A
Run-time: 87 mins
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Video on Real.com
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Trailer:
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FIVE CLIPS:
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