Spring Break
Myers' latest appears lackluster
'The Love Guru,' which comes out June 20, features Mike Myers of 'Austin Powers' fame in the lead role.
by Marianna Faynshteyn
Staff Writer
Arts | 5/20/08
Posted online at 7:53 PM EST on 5/19/08
/ Last updated at 7:30 AM EST on 5/19/08
June 20 marks the opening day of Mike Myers' latest comedy, his first self-written one in years. The Love Guru is endowed with several A-list stars new to the Myers oeuvre, such as the ever tabloid-friendly Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake, but based on the film's trailer, it is evident that there are many familiar faces and gags from Myers' Austin Powers trilogy. This may prove to be an incentive for Powers fans to swarm the theater that particular June day, but for others it may fail to rekindle the old flame-the lack of originality in the three-minute preview could potentially dissuade some from investing their time and money.
But if you hear the man himself talk about it, you might feel differently. In a conference call interview held with more than a dozen colleges several months ago, Myers spoke about his life and latest film with little hesitation and with more detail and personal information than the innocuous questions demanded.
The Love Guru follows the story of Pitka, an American raised by gurus in India who then becomes one himself, taking on the challenge of mending the marital woes of a hockey player to prove his divinity. Though there is some spiritual skepticism implicit in the trailer and in the above description, Myers claims there is sincerity to the guru theme of the film. With little provocation, Myers spoke of his father's death in 1991, which he said influenced his own spiritual journey and sparked his interest in Eastern teachings.
He claims the experience was the catalyst behind making the film and went on to describe his philosophy on comedy and spirituality. He listed Deepak Chopra and Gary Zukav, real-life gurus, as well Lenny Bruce and Rob Reiner, real-life comedians, as the people who influenced his take on life and humor.
"What I love about Deepak and Gary Zukav is that they understand, and understood that to be enlightened is to in fact lighten up. … Lenny Bruce always said that the equation for comedy is pain plus time. Rob Reiner used to say that comedy is when you fall into a pit and get impaled on a spike, and tragedy is when I stub my toe," Myers said.
But if you hear the man himself talk about it, you might feel differently. In a conference call interview held with more than a dozen colleges several months ago, Myers spoke about his life and latest film with little hesitation and with more detail and personal information than the innocuous questions demanded.
The Love Guru follows the story of Pitka, an American raised by gurus in India who then becomes one himself, taking on the challenge of mending the marital woes of a hockey player to prove his divinity. Though there is some spiritual skepticism implicit in the trailer and in the above description, Myers claims there is sincerity to the guru theme of the film. With little provocation, Myers spoke of his father's death in 1991, which he said influenced his own spiritual journey and sparked his interest in Eastern teachings.
He claims the experience was the catalyst behind making the film and went on to describe his philosophy on comedy and spirituality. He listed Deepak Chopra and Gary Zukav, real-life gurus, as well Lenny Bruce and Rob Reiner, real-life comedians, as the people who influenced his take on life and humor.
"What I love about Deepak and Gary Zukav is that they understand, and understood that to be enlightened is to in fact lighten up. … Lenny Bruce always said that the equation for comedy is pain plus time. Rob Reiner used to say that comedy is when you fall into a pit and get impaled on a spike, and tragedy is when I stub my toe," Myers said.
Be the first to comment on this story