Kathmandu:

It’s not fair. Critics tend to criticise because in some mad ‘Critics Bible’ they are meant to be horrible. Mike Myers first live-action comedy in five years, The Love Guru truly sizzles with one laugh after another only to be brought down by critics like Pete Hammond who says, “It fizzles”.

But Hammond by the same token is fair with his knowledge of film history and he says, “If you’re looking for one-man shows, Mike Myers is your man. Clearly, the actor is this generation’s Peter Sellers, choosing to play characters far from his own persona, such as spy Austin Powers or Wayne Campbell. Guru Pitka fits right in. In Love Guru, Pitka throws all sorts of self-help mumbo jumbo around hoping some of it sticks. He is like a distant cousin to other Sellers incarnations in films such as The Magic Christian, I Love You, Alice B Toklas and particularly his Indian actor Hrundi V Bakshi in The Party.”

The plot might be thin but you have gorgeous musical take-offs on Bollywood and the gags are every bit as funny as Myers’ Austin Powers character and less obviously vulgar though the movie has been compared to the works of my current favourite shock effect writer and director Judd Apatow combined with just plain horrid Adam Sandler.

The pomposity of critics can never be overlooked especially when they know that a movie might possible be a hit and end a review by saying what idiots the audiences are with extraordinary sentiments like Bill Gibron’s, “Still, no one has ever gone broke overestimating audiences’ love of anything remotely regressive. The Love Guru is so devolved, it practically champions Intelligent Design, except there is not one ounce of cleverness (or comedy) up on the screen.”

Absolutely hysterical after Mike Myers’ Guru Pitka The Love Guru is news talks show Stephen Colbert who plays a drug-addled, sex-addicted hockey broadcaster and Justin Timberlake plays a Quebecois goalie whose endowments are as huge as his crush on Celine Dion.

But we are ahead of ourselves. The story, which includes a chastity belt that Pitka spends most of the movie wearing is about the Guru who grew up and has to contend with the success story of his childhood friend and colleague Deepak Chopra (who cameos in the film). Chopra has been on Oprah, for god’s sake! Suddenly, Pitka sees the possibility of the fame when Jane (Jessica Alba), the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, summons him to help get back her star player Darren’s (Romany Malco) mojo back, after his wife Prudence (Meagan Good) leaves him for the legendarily well-endowed LA Kings star Jacques ‘Le Coq’ Grande (Justin Timberlake). Pitka’s spiritual mission? Get Darren and Prudence back together in time for the Leafs to win the all-important Stanley Cup.”

What happens doesn’t matter it is the way the plot unfolds, the manner in which one joke follows another that will have you in splits. Alba looks sexy, Ben Kingsley has a minor role and Verne Troyer, the little man who is causing such a stir these days, is wonderful as either the ice hockey puck or the trainer of the team, all of which go to make the movie into a 88-minute laugh skit hit. Who says, where it is written that a whole movie can’t be a skit — take Hammond’s own comparison: The Party by Sellers was a skit as was Doctor Strangelove.

So fall in love with the laughter of the Guru and if there are things you object to, there are more things you will truly enjoy.