Half-hearted guru

The Associated Press
Published: June 18, 2008

In “The Love Guru,” Mike Myers must come to love himself before he can love others. From the credits of this scattershot comedy sketch stretched and strained to movie length, Myers clearly loved himself to the point of narcissism going in.

Besides starring, Myers is a producer and co-writer. He’s in the cast list four times — three times for the same character (Guru Pitka, Young Pitka and Teenage Pitka) and for a two-second cameo as himself.

The song credits feature three tunes performed by Myers, among them Eastern-inflected and mystically bad versions of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and Steve Miller’s “The Joker.”

Self-love does not seem to be an issue for Myers, unlike Pitka, the world’s second-best guru, who carries a chip on his shoulder from growing up in the shadow of top-seeded rival Deepak Chopra (who makes a brief appearance in “The Love Guru”).

Myers spent years honing Pitka, the first original character he has dreamed up in more than a decade, since the first “Austin Powers” movie arrived. Even putting all that time in on Pitka, Myers, co-writer Graham Gordy and first-time director Marco Schnabel (filmmaker Jay Roach’s aide on the “Austin Powers” movies) come up with only a few real laughs.

Most of the gags are half-hearted, many puzzling and unfunny lines delivered by Myers with his trademark sly stare into the camera, as though waiting for fans to guffaw. He may have a long wait.

Myers wants us all to love him, wants us all to be in on his jokes. But love and laughs are earned, not given just because you mug for the camera behind a wild wig and beard.