Myers off form in dismal 'The Love Guru'

Raised in an ashram in the tiny Indian fishing village of Harenmahkeester, Guru Pitka (Mike Myers) leaves his beloved, cross-eyed mentor Guru Tugginmypuddha (Ben Kingsley) to establish himself as an expert in self-help and spirituality in America.

'The Love Guru' espouses the importance of fulfilment through self-reflection (“Intimacy = Into me I see”) but Marco Schnabel’s film will have quite the opposite effect: self-loathing and frustration as viewers realise that they have wasted good money on second-rate goods.

No one will be amused by this crass and humourless tale of self-empowerment, which bookends lacklustre comic vignettes with Bollywood-style song and dance performances of Dolly Parton’s anthem '9 To 5', 'More Than Words' by Extreme and 'The Joker' by the Steve Miller Band.

Schnabel’s film isn’t actually mean-spirited or intentionally disrespectful, it’s just unremittingly dull, wrapping its quasi-philosophical teachings in the usual mishmash of slapstick, innuendo and sight gags.

Rating: 1/5