Like many people, I’ve been guilty of quoting Mike Myers’ films. When
Wayne’s World came out, I was a gangly teen punctuating the end of every sentence with “NOT!”. When
Austin Powers was the flavour of the month, I was guilty of the occasional “Oh be-
have”. And with
So I married an Axe Murderer, I put on a questionable Scottish accent and yelled “Heath! Head! Now!” when I saw someone with a massive noggin.
And that’s a testament to the talent of Mike Myers. He creates comic characters who are so good, you want to emulate them.
But all good things must come to an end, and it may have just happened with his latest film,
The Love Guru.In case you haven’t see the
trailer, Myers plays Pitka, an American who has been raised by Indian gurus. He returns to the States in order to break into the self-help business. His first challenge is to settle the romantic troubles and professional skid of a star hockey player whose wife has left him for a rival athlete.
Jessica Alba plays Myers’ love interest, Jane Bullard. While Alba is certainly visually phenomenal, she plays an incredibly flimsy character who is nothing more than shiny hair and glossy lips.
Also on the cast list are Justin Timberlake (who plays the rival hockey player Jacques Grande) and Verne Troyer, who played Mini-Me in the
Austin Powers films.
When viewing the film, the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” springs to mind. The sort of jokes that have become Myers’ trademark – penis gags, gross-out humour, word plays and elaborately choreographed dance routines – are all present and accounted for. It’s just that they've become a little tired. In fact, many of the scenes with Verne Troyer elicit a definite sense of de ja vu - it’s like you’re watching the same routines from
Austin Powers, just with different costumes and accents.
And while the plot lines of Myers films have always verged on the ridiculous, you generally forgive him, because the humour is so unique and brilliant. Not so with
The Love Guru. All of a sudden you see the crummy storyline for what it is, because you’re no longer being blinded by tears of laughter.
Being disappointed by
The Love Guru is a surprisingly poignant experience. When you admire someone for so long, then they produce a dud and reveal that they're not so flawless after all, it's a fairly shattering experience. It’s a little like realising that Santa Claus is just your dad scuffling around in a pair of tracksuit pants.
The Love Guru opens in cinemas today.