THE LOVE GURU isn't as bad as some people said it is. I think it is better than the Austin Powers films (or at least the sequels). THE LOVE GURU isn't perfect because sometimes the film's gags do stumble (some of the better humor was cut and you can see it in the deleted scenes including the alternate ending they should have worked into the theatrical ending somehow.

In THE LOVE GURU, Mike Myers is Guru Pitka, the number 2 guru behind Deepak Chopra. Pitka is the expert in all things love even though he has never had sex himself until he knows how to love himself. He is hired by the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Jessica Alba) to get their star player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) back with his wife Prudence so the team can win the Stanley Cup. Prudence is dating the goalie of the L.A. Kings, Jacques "Le Coq" Grande (Justin Timberlake), who is the most well-endowed player in hockey. The Maple Leafs coach (Verne Troyer) thinks Pitka is an idiot. Pitka is trying to get on Oprah and be number one over Deepak Chopra while Pitka also wants to have sex the Toronto hockey team's owner.

Justin Timberlake continues to amaze with his acting and I love the cameos from Val Kilmer and Marishka Hargitay (which is also the Love Guru's greeting). Too bad they couldn't have left the rival guru school of KARMA in the film against the guru school of DRAMA (which Pitka falls under). Ben Kingsley is also wonderful as Pitka's cross-eyed guru. Deepak Chopra is in on the joke as the film shows Pitka being taught beside Chopra in flashbacks and he also does a cameo.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
MIKE MYERS AND THE LOVE GURU- AN INSIDE LOOK- promo fluff that has interviews with the cast and crew
ONE HELLAVU ELEPHANT- how they built a couple of animatronic puppets for the movie: an elephant frame and half of an ostrich
HOCKEY TRAINING FOR ACTORS- they wanted the actors to know how to skate and play hockey a little bit. Romany sucked at first while Justin Timberlake got it right away (due to rollerblading since he was a kid)

The deleted and extended scenes include some funny bits unfortunately left out of the film (the extended stink mop scene and the Old Log Inn stuff that is funnier than what is in the film). Also the outtakes reel and bloopers are amusing. The original theatrical trailer is included while the digital copy of the film (I could care less about) has it's own disc.

FINAL ANALYSIS: I had low expectations about THE LOVE GURU and enjoyed more than any of the Austin Powers film. It is a shame that some of the deleted scenes didn't stay in.

this DVD review is (c)9-26-2008 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com  

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