The Love Guru is a
2008The year 2008 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
AmericanThe cinema of the United States has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
comedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies...
, directed by Marco Schnabel and starring
Mike MyersMichael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian-English actor, comedian, screenwriter and film producer. He was a long-time cast member on the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and starred as the title characters in the films Wayne's World, Austin Powers, and ...
and
Jessica AlbaJessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
along with
Romany Malco-Early life:Malco was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Trinidadian father. He began his career at the age of seven, when he picked up a microphone and started rapping. As a teen, he moved to Texas and formed the rap group, R.M.G., and upon relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal with...
,
Justin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He got his big break when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate...
and
Verne TroyerVerne J. Troyer is an American actor and stunt performer. Troyer is notable for his height of , the result of cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism, making him one of the shortest men in the world...
. In addition to starring in the film, Myers wrote
The Love Guru with Graham Gordy, and produced it with
Gary BarberGary Barber is a film producer who is a co-founder and co-CEO of Spyglass Entertainment. His production credits include:*Reign of Fire*Shanghai Noon*Bruce Almighty*Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls*The Recruit*Mr...
. The film was released by
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
on June 20, 2008 and was rated PG-13. The film was released on August 1 in the United Kingdom, and has been rated 12A. It was released on
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
and Blu-Ray on September 16.
In 2009, the film won three
Golden Raspberry AwardsThe Golden Raspberry Awards, frequently called the Razzies, were created by John Wilson in 1980 , intended to counterpoint the Academy Awards by dishonoring the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, and films that the film industry had to offer...
, for
worst film
The Razzie Award for Worst Picture is a penalty given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. Following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each film's distribution company and producer....
(beating
Disaster MovieDisaster Movie is a 2008 parody film. It is written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, and stars Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, Matt Lanter, Nicole Parker, Crista Flanagan, Vanessa Minnillo, and Ike Barinholtz...
and
Meet the SpartansMeet The Spartans is a parody film directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Similar to past movies, such as Scary Movie and Date Movie, it directs parodies at various films...
),
worst actorThe Razzie Award for Worst Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
(Mike Myers) and
worst screenplayThe Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst film screenplay of the past year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each screenplay's author...
.
Darren Roanoke (#77) (
Romany Malco-Early life:Malco was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Trinidadian father. He began his career at the age of seven, when he picked up a microphone and started rapping. As a teen, he moved to Texas and formed the rap group, R.M.G., and upon relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal with...
), the star player of the
Toronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, is suffering from stress because his wife, Prudence Roanoke (
Meagan GoodMeagan Monique Good is an American film and television actress, and occasional film producer. Beginning her career at the age of four, Good has appeared in numerous commercials, television shows, feature films, and music videos....
), has left him for the
Los Angeles KingsThe Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
French-Canadian
goaltenderThis article is about the goaltender in ice hockey. For the similar position in other sports, see goalkeeper. For the basketball foul, see goaltending....
Jacques "Le Coq" Grandé (#1) (
Justin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He got his big break when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate...
).
The Love Guru is a
2008The year 2008 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
AmericanThe cinema of the United States has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
comedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies...
, directed by Marco Schnabel and starring
Mike MyersMichael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian-English actor, comedian, screenwriter and film producer. He was a long-time cast member on the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and starred as the title characters in the films Wayne's World, Austin Powers, and ...
and
Jessica AlbaJessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
along with
Romany Malco-Early life:Malco was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Trinidadian father. He began his career at the age of seven, when he picked up a microphone and started rapping. As a teen, he moved to Texas and formed the rap group, R.M.G., and upon relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal with...
,
Justin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He got his big break when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate...
and
Verne TroyerVerne J. Troyer is an American actor and stunt performer. Troyer is notable for his height of , the result of cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism, making him one of the shortest men in the world...
. In addition to starring in the film, Myers wrote
The Love Guru with Graham Gordy, and produced it with
Gary BarberGary Barber is a film producer who is a co-founder and co-CEO of Spyglass Entertainment. His production credits include:*Reign of Fire*Shanghai Noon*Bruce Almighty*Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls*The Recruit*Mr...
. The film was released by
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
on June 20, 2008 and was rated PG-13. The film was released on August 1 in the United Kingdom, and has been rated 12A. It was released on
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
and Blu-Ray on September 16.
In 2009, the film won three
Golden Raspberry AwardsThe Golden Raspberry Awards, frequently called the Razzies, were created by John Wilson in 1980 , intended to counterpoint the Academy Awards by dishonoring the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, and films that the film industry had to offer...
, for
worst film
The Razzie Award for Worst Picture is a penalty given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. Following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each film's distribution company and producer....
(beating
Disaster MovieDisaster Movie is a 2008 parody film. It is written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, and stars Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, Matt Lanter, Nicole Parker, Crista Flanagan, Vanessa Minnillo, and Ike Barinholtz...
and
Meet the SpartansMeet The Spartans is a parody film directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Similar to past movies, such as Scary Movie and Date Movie, it directs parodies at various films...
),
worst actorThe Razzie Award for Worst Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
(Mike Myers) and
worst screenplayThe Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst film screenplay of the past year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each screenplay's author...
.
Plot
Darren Roanoke (#77) (
Romany Malco-Early life:Malco was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Trinidadian father. He began his career at the age of seven, when he picked up a microphone and started rapping. As a teen, he moved to Texas and formed the rap group, R.M.G., and upon relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal with...
), the star player of the
Toronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, is suffering from stress because his wife, Prudence Roanoke (
Meagan GoodMeagan Monique Good is an American film and television actress, and occasional film producer. Beginning her career at the age of four, Good has appeared in numerous commercials, television shows, feature films, and music videos....
), has left him for the
Los Angeles KingsThe Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
French-Canadian
goaltenderThis article is about the goaltender in ice hockey. For the similar position in other sports, see goalkeeper. For the basketball foul, see goaltending....
Jacques "Le Coq" Grandé (#1) (
Justin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He got his big break when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate...
). The stress causes his hand to shake, which affects his hockey performance. Jane Bullard (
Jessica AlbaJessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
) enlists the support of Guru Maurice Pitka (
Mike MyersMichael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian-English actor, comedian, screenwriter and film producer. He was a long-time cast member on the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and starred as the title characters in the films Wayne's World, Austin Powers, and ...
) to help Darren with his stress so that the team can hopefully break their losing streak. In addition to getting a considerable payment, Pitka would be invited to
Oprah WinfreyOprah Gail Winfrey is an American media personality, actress, television producer, literary critic and magazine publisher, best known for her self-titled, multi-award winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history...
's show, which he hopes would help him become the #1 guru, a place currently held by
Deepak ChopraDeepak Chopra is an endocrinologist, lecturer, celebrity and author of books on spirituality and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as a medical doctor and later worked in mind-body medicine and ayurveda.-Family life:...
. Pitka succeeds, but feels no need anymore to become #1, more important is his love for Jane. However, in connection with a vow, Guru Tugginmypudha gave him a
chastity beltA chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse. They may be used to protect the wearer from rape or temptation. Some devices have been designed with additional features to prevent masturbation. Chastity belts have been created for males and females.The term...
. Pitka returns to Tugginmypudha to have it removed. Tugginmypudha agrees that it can be removed now, and explains how to do that; to Pitka's surprise, no key is needed.
Cast
- Mike Myers
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian-English actor, comedian, screenwriter and film producer. He was a long-time cast member on the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and starred as the title characters in the films Wayne's World, Austin Powers, and ...
as Guru Maurice Pitka
- Romany Malco
-Early life:Malco was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Trinidadian father. He began his career at the age of seven, when he picked up a microphone and started rapping. As a teen, he moved to Texas and formed the rap group, R.M.G., and upon relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal with...
as Darren Roanoke
- Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
as Jane Bullard
- Meagan Good
Meagan Monique Good is an American film and television actress, and occasional film producer. Beginning her career at the age of four, Good has appeared in numerous commercials, television shows, feature films, and music videos....
as Prudence Roanoke
- Verne Troyer
Verne J. Troyer is an American actor and stunt performer. Troyer is notable for his height of , the result of cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism, making him one of the shortest men in the world...
as Coach Punch Cherkov
- Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He got his big break when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate...
as Jacques "Le Coq" Grandé
- Telma Hopkins
Telma Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s’ pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By and Half & Half.-Career:She started her career as a background...
as Lillian Roanoke
- Manu Narayan
Manu Narayan is an American actor. He has been hailed as a "promising young star...a compelling actor and outstanding singer who can light up a stage with sheer force of personality." Manu has starred on Broadway, and co-stars as Rajneesh alongside Mike Myers in the Paramount Pictures' Film The...
as Rajneesh, Pitka's assistant
- John Oliver
John William Oliver is an Emmy-winning British stand-up comedian, and correspondent/writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He has worked extensively with Andy Zaltzman; their work together includes Political Animal, The Department and The Bugle.-Early life:Born in Birmingham, raised in...
as Dick Pants
- Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is an English actor. He has won four major motion picture acting awards, receiving Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards throughout his career...
as Guru Tugginmypudha
- Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian and television host. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an actor,...
as Jay Kell
- Jim Gaffigan
James Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his Comedy Central Presents specials, a recurring role on the show My Boys and several nationwide commercials.-Personal life:...
as Trent Lueders
- Rob Huebel
Rob Huebel is an American actor and comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on the MTV series Human Giant.-Early life:...
as Bar Patron
- Omid Djalili
Omid Djalili is a British stand-up comedian and actor.-Personal life:Djalili was born in Chelsea, London to Iranian Bahá'í parents and is a Bahá'í himself...
as Guru Satchabigknoba
- Laura Landauer
Laura Landauer is a Canadian actress, singer and comedian best known for her impersonation of Celine Dion and her video “The Celine Dion Workout”. Laura appeared as a guest judge on Video on Trial and as a finalist on Bathroom Divas...
as Céline DionCéline Marie Claudette Dion , CC, OQ is a Canadian singer, occasional songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. Born to a large, impoverished family in Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to...
As themselves
- Mike Myers
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian-English actor, comedian, screenwriter and film producer. He was a long-time cast member on the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and starred as the title characters in the films Wayne's World, Austin Powers, and ...
- Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Magdolina Hargitay is an American actress, best known for her role as Detective Olivia Benson on the television program Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Hargitay is a winner of a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award....
- Kanye West
Kanye West is an American singer/rapper. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums have received numerous awards and critical acclaim...
- Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a role in Top Gun and a lead role...
- Morgan Freeman
Morgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr. is an American actor, film director, and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice....
(voice)
- Rob Blake
Robert Bowlby Blake is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and team captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
- Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is an endocrinologist, lecturer, celebrity and author of books on spirituality and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as a medical doctor and later worked in mind-body medicine and ayurveda.-Family life:...
- Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American media personality, actress, television producer, literary critic and magazine publisher, best known for her self-titled, multi-award winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history...
- Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English actress.Originally trained as a set designer, Dench began her acting career in the mid 1950s in amateur productions, and made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company...
(referenced by commentator Jay Kell (Stephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian and television host. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an actor,...
))
- Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American singer, actress, and television personality who rose to fame in the late 1990s. She has achieved seven Billboard Top 40 hits, and has three gold and two multi-platinum RIAA-certified albums. Simpson starred with her then-husband Nick Lachey in the MTV reality...
Music
The original score for the film was composed by
George S. ClintonGeorge S. Clinton is a professional songwriter, arranger, composer, and session musician, not to be confused with funk musician George Clinton. Clinton began his musical career in Nashville while earning degrees in music and drama at Middle Tennessee State University...
, who recorded it with an 80-piece ensemble of the
Hollywood Studio SymphonyThe Hollywood Studio Symphony is the credited name of the symphony orchestra behind many major soundtracks, including The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Last Samurai, Pirates of the Carribbean, We Are Marshall, Spider-Man 2, Lost and The Bourne Supremacy...
at
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
The song "Dhadak Dhadak" from the 2005 Bollywood film Bunty Aur BabliBunty Aur Babli , released in 2005, is an Indian Bollywood film directed by Shaad Ali and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Rani Mukerji. It was the first film to feature both Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan, and featured guest appearances by Aishwarya Rai and Tania...
was used in the trailer.
The songs "9 to 5"9 to 5" is the title of a Grammy-winning, number-one song written and originally performed by Dolly Parton for the 1980 film comedy Nine to Five, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her film debut....
", "More Than Words"More Than Words" is a ballad written by and originally performed by the rock band Extreme. It is built around acoustic guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and the vocals of Gary Cherone , it was released in 1990 on the album Extreme II: Pornograffiti...
", and "The Joker"The Joker" is a song by the Steve Miller Band from their 1973 album The Joker. The song is one of two Steve Miller Band songs that feature the neologism "pompatus"...
" are all in the movie (performed by Mike Myers, and with sitarThe sitar is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
accompaniment) and on the soundtrack. "Brimful of Asha"Brimful of Asha" is an East-West Fusion pop-rock song by the British band Cornershop, which originally reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart in 1997. A remix by Fatboy Slim became a hit in 1998 on the US and UK charts, reaching #1 in the UK. The original hit #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock...
" was also used in the film.
It is worthy of note that a snippet of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is played while Guru Pitka (Myers) and head bobbing Darren Roanoke (Malco) are driving in a car en route to Buffalo - a quick homage to Myers' character Wayne Campbell (Wayne's World) who was known for 'head-banging' to the same song.
Céline DionCéline Marie Claudette Dion , CC, OQ is a Canadian singer, occasional songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. Born to a large, impoverished family in Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to...
's Songs "I Drove All Night"I Drove All Night" is a song written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly for Roy Orbison. Orbison first recorded the song in 1987, but his rendition was not released until 1992, after the song had become a top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic for Cyndi Lauper in 1989. The song has been covered by...
" and "Because You Loved Me"Because You Loved Me" is a smash hit from Céline Dion's album Falling into You, released as the first single on February 19, 1996 in North America and Japan. In other parts of the world it was released in May 1996 as the second single, after "Falling into You.""Because You Loved Me" was written by...
" were featured in the film as Justin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He got his big break when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate...
's character was a massive fan, and a well known Celine Impersonator Laura LandauerLaura Landauer is a Canadian actress, singer and comedian best known for her impersonation of Celine Dion and her video “The Celine Dion Workout”. Laura appeared as a guest judge on Video on Trial and as a finalist on Bathroom Divas...
has a part in the film as Celine Dion.
Promotion
Mike Myers appeared in the seventh season finale of American IdolThe seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges...
as his character Pitka, the "spiritual director" of that show. The finalists David CookDavid Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol...
and David ArchuletaDavid Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
got to visit the Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
studio theatre to see The Love Guru a month before its release and then got to meet Myers dressed like Pitka and was playing Sitar HeroGuitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
.
A "Fan Resource Page" at Fox EntertainmentFox Entertainment Group is an American entertainment industry company that owns film studios and terrestrial, cable, and direct broadcast satellite television properties. It is wholly owned and controlled by the media conglomerate News Corporation which is owned by the Australian Rupert Murdoch,...
's beliefnet.com website was "created as part of a collaboration between BeliefnetBeliefnet is a large multi-faith e-community that aims to provide a free forum for religious information and inspiration, spiritual tools, and discussions and dialogue groups. Beliefnet provides information about various religious and spiritual beliefs, ranging from Christian denominations to...
and Paramount Pictures."
Box office performance
While predicted to be a summer hit, The Love Guru ended up being a box office bomb. In its opening weekend, The Love Guru grossed $13.9 million in 3,012 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #4 at the box office. The opening week numbers fell short of the $20 million range forecast by Hollywood pundits. To date, the film has grossed $40,854,735 worldwide, two-thirds of its $62 million budget.
Critical reception
The Love Guru was panned by most critics. As of December 18, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films. The name derives from the historical cliché of throwing tomatoes and other produce at stage performers if a performance was particularly bad.- History :...
reported that 14% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 125 reviews. MetacriticMetacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 24 out of 100, based on 33 reviews.
Jay Stone of the National PostThe National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, Ontario, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by CanWest Global Communications and is published every Monday through Saturday...
gave the film one star and said the film "is shockingly crass, sloppy, repetitive and thin." Stone said "ChopraDeepak Chopra is an endocrinologist, lecturer, celebrity and author of books on spirituality and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as a medical doctor and later worked in mind-body medicine and ayurveda.-Family life:...
is used almost as a product placement, taking a proud spot alongside a circus, a brand of cinnamon buns, the LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and, of course, Mike Myers." Stone also wrote, "the sitarThe sitar is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
-based versions of pop songs like "9 to 5""9 to 5" is the title of a Grammy-winning, number-one song written and originally performed by Dolly Parton for the 1980 film comedy Nine to Five, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her film debut....
are oddly watchable - but mostly the film is 88 minutes of ridiculous sight gags and obscene puns."
A. O. ScottAnthony O. "Tony" Scott is an American journalist and critic. He is best known as a film critic for The New York Times.-Background and education:...
of The New York Times wrote "The word 'unfunny' surely applies to Mr. Myers’s obnoxious attempts to find mirth in physical and cultural differences but does not quite capture the strenuous unpleasantness of his performance. No, The Love Guru is downright antifunny, an experience that makes you wonder if you will ever laugh again." Scott also commented that the cameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. Short appearances by film directors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities are common. These roles are generally small, and...
of actress Mariska HargitayMariska Magdolina Hargitay is an American actress, best known for her role as Detective Olivia Benson on the television program Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Hargitay is a winner of a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award....
was anti-climactic. An ongoing gag in the film is the use of "Mariska Hargitay" as a phoney HindiStandard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a standardised register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 languages with official status in India, and is used, along with English, for administration of the central government.Standard Hindi is a sanskritised register derived...
greeting.
Harry Knowles of Aintitcoolnews.com was utterly disgusted with the film, considering it one of the worst films of at least the past several years, and going so far as to declare it a career-killing movie for Myers.
The Globe and Mail gave the movie a 1-star review, saying the only funny part was the line "the Toronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
have won the Stanley Cup!", due to the recent lack of skills displayed by the team. One reviewer felt that the only actor that "really scores in the film is Stephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian and television host. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an actor,...
," who plays a drug- and sex-addicted hockey broadcaster, lauding his performance as "absolutely hysterical."
The film was listed as the worst movie of 2008 in the New York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
s Top 10 Worst Movies of 2008 overview.
DVD Sales
The Love Guru was released on DVD on September 16, 2008 and sold 507,118 DVD units bringing in $9,116,976 in revenue.
Awards
The Love Guru received the most nominations at the 29th Golden Raspberry AwardsThe 29th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony was held by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation to "honor" the worst films of 2008 on February 21, 2009 at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood, California. Nominations were announced on January 21, 2009; The Love Guru was the most nominated film...
with a total of seven, and won three awards (Worst PictureThe Razzie Award for Worst Picture is a penalty given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. Following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each film's distribution company and producer....
, Worst ActorThe Razzie Award for Worst Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
, and Worst ScreenplayThe Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst film screenplay of the past year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each screenplay's author...
). The awards winners were announced on February 21, 2009.
Trivia
The Kings and the Maple Leafs, the two teams in the film, met each other in the playoffs three times in real life. In 1975, the Leafs upset the Kings in the preliminary round two games to one. In 1978, the Leafs swept the Kings in the preliminary round, two games to none. In 1993, the two teams faced each other in the Campbell Conference Championship. The Kings won that series four games to three, to advance to their first and (as of 2009) only Stanley Cup FinalThe 1993 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens to decide the NHL championship.It was the Kings' first appearance in the Final, the 34th for Montreal, and their first since the 1989 Final. The Canadiens won the series 4-1 to win...
, where they lost to the Montreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team is a member of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in five games.
The movie portrays the Stanley Cup Finals series in a 3-3-1 format, which differs from the 2-2-1-1-1 playoff format used by the NHL. In the film, games 1, 2, 3, and 7 were in Toronto, while games 4, 5, and 6 where in Los Angeles. Under the correct NHL format, games 1, 2, 5, and 7 should have been set in Toronto, while games 3, 4, and 6 would have been Kings' home games. In the Game Seven scene, Darren Roanoke is shown taking a faceoff against Rob BlakeRobert Bowlby Blake is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and team captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
. In real life, Blake would be highly unlikely to take a faceoff, as he is a defenseman.
The Harenmahkeester sign is now used as a headboard on a Canadian Reality TV show Junk RaidersJunk Raiders is a 2009 Canadian reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel. The series follows a team of seven professionals, the titular Junk Raiders, as they attempt to renovate an old steel factory in downtown Toronto and turn it into a high-end loft in one month with on a $5000...
!
Portrayal of Hinduism
Before the film's release, some HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
s expressed unhappiness about how Hindus are portrayed, the disrespect of their culture and the bad impression that it would make for those not well exposed to Hinduism, while some gave a cautious welcome.
Rajan ZedRajan Zed is a Hindu and Indo-American statesman who was invited to read historic first Hindu prayers to the Washington State Senate, Nevada Assembly and the Nevada Senate, as well as the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. – his prayer is transcribed on page S9069 of the Congressional...
, a Hindu leader from NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
, demanded that Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
screen the film for members of the HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
community before it was released in June. Based on the movie's trailer and MySpace page, Zed says The Love Guru "appears to be lampooning HinduismHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
and Hindus" and uses sacred terms frivolously. Zed told The Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, "People are not very well-versed in HinduismHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
, so this might be their only exposure... They will have an image in their minds of stereotypeA stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals.The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups, based on some prior...
s. They will think most of us are like that."
The Hindu American FoundationThe Hindu American Foundation is an American Hindu human rights group advocating on behalf of the Hindu community in the United States....
was granted a pre-screening of the film prior to its release. HAF agreed to view the film to be able to inform the Hindu American communityThe advent of Hinduism in the United States has long been a subject for debate. It is believed that adherents to Hinduism arrived with early immigrants who may have been on the continent since the founding of the United States. The number of adherents, however, did not increase to a significant...
in light of concerned enquiries that had been pouring into its national headquarters. The reviewers conclude that the film is vulgar and crude but not necessarily anti-Hindu.
External links