Mike Myers is well known for a string of zany characters stretching back to his days on Saturday Night Live. Wayne from Wayne’s World, numerous roles in the Austin Powers series, and of course the voice of the lead character from Shrek. Now Myers is back to try out a new character on audiences in the debut comedy from director Marco Schnabel, The Love Guru.

Myers plays Guru Pitka, a prolific self-help author and spiritualist obsessed with becoming as popular as Deepak Chopra. When the crumbling relationship between hockey player Darren Roanoke and his wife Prudence affects his playing and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ hopes for a Stanley Cup, the Guru is brought in to patch things up. The payoff? Two million dollars… and an appearance on the Oprah show that is guaranteed to send his popularity soaring.

Standing in his way is Jacques Grande, star player for the rival L.A. Kings hockey team who has struck up a relationship with Prudence and will do anything to keep the Maple Leafs from having a shot at the championship. Further complicating matters is a growing attraction between Guru Pitka and Jane Bullard, owner of the Maple Leafs. On paper it looks like a recipe for much relationship hilarity.

Sadly, that potential hilarity doesn’t manifest smoothly onto the big screen. Overall, I’d say it’s not the acting; the cast does a pretty solid job. In this case the buck stops with Mike Myers—who shares writing and producing credits—and first time director Schnabel.

The main problem is the material, which veers wildly between bits that are genius—an ongoing peripheral sketch between hockey announcers, played by comedians Stephen Colbert and Jim Gaffigan, is a good example—and far, far too much infantile humor. How many penis jokes, urine soaked mops to the face, and grade-school plays on names (Ben Kingsley’s Guru Tugginmypudha) does one movie need? I don’t know the answer; but whatever it is, The Love Guru is over quota.

A more experienced director might have been able to rein in the out-of-control humor, but Schnabel isn’t up to the task at this point in his career. Hard to blame him, really; trying to control a manic Mike Myers has to be a daunting task on your debut as a feature film director.

On the up side, I can say I didn’t find The Love Guru painful to watch. I found enough laughs to feel entertained by the time the closing credits rolled. It was all the wincing at low-brow jokes in between that took the shine off the experience. This could have been a much better film than the one I watched. Sometimes less is more, especially with humor. This film could be a poster child demonstrating the foibles of trying to push the envelope.

The Love Guru is rated PG-13 for “crude and sexual content throughout, language, some comic violence and drug references.” Honestly, I’m a little surprised that this is only rated PG-13. It must be right on the line. I suppose only the lack of nudity saved it from the higher rating; but I’d still think twice about letting children see this.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Michael attended a promotional screening of The Love Guru.