It appears as though Mike Myers’s new movie, The Love Guru, has offended certain Hindu leaders by stereotyping and lampooning the Hindu culture.
In the movie, Myers plays the wacky Guru Pitka, who is hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs (in case you don’t know your sports, they play hockey–and, just for the record, “Leafs” looks much prettier on a jersey than “Leaves” would) to get their star player back together with his wife before the playoffs. The movie also stars Jessica Alba as the team…owner…? (Really?) And Justin Timberlake as a French-Canadian hockey player (which is equally believable).
Of course, it’s really no surprise that the Hindus are offended. Actually, I’m guessing that pretty much anyone with a sense of humor will most likely be offended. Heck, I was offended just by watching the trailer. I’m offended by the fact that not even the trailer is funny. As a hockey fan, I’m offended by the general lampooning of my favorite sport. I’m also a bit saddened that, after taking several years off from live-action movies, a great comedian like Mike Myers hasn’t been able to come up with any new jokes.
Okay, so perhaps certain Leafs fans aren’t actually offended by it (since the movie seems to imply that they actually have a chance of winning the Cup–something that hasn’t happened in my Leafs-fan husband’s lifetime). After all, like my husband, Myers is a Toronto boy and a die hard Leafs fan. But I’m guessing they might still be offended by the fact that the people who created the trailer don’t seem to understand that Toronto is in Canada (since the trailer announces that the world’s second greatest guru is “coming to America!”).
So join the club, Hindus. You’re in good company.
All we can do now is repeat our calming mantra and hope that the movie isn’t as bad as the trailer.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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