When you’re on top, the only way is down. This sobering cliché is evident depending on where you look. What was once the talk of the town is now yesterday’s news, one day the best-seeded team are suffering an interminable losing streak. In 2008, following on the success, Myers tried to impart his wisdom, in a new character, known as The Love Guru.

Guru Pitka, the American-born spiritual guru, is renowned for his abilities, second only to Deepak Chopra. He appreciates the fairer sex, only hindered by a chastity belt still rigorously enforced. Still, his dreams are focused on becoming the number one guru in the land. A chance that could be in his grasp if he can help the new, attractive owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He must lend his spiritual know-how to help Darren Ronenoke out of the yips, due to his crumbling marriage, to help his team take the Stanley Cup.

Based on the premise alone, you would think there would be more of a probing into the Westernisation of Eastern spirituality, but I get this film and this scene from Inspector Gadget confused. What you can tell, is that Myers wrote this film, if that wasn’t glaringly obvious from the fascination with hockey and Jessica Alba falling in love with the main character. Alba’s character is in a unique position, inheriting the Maple Leafs from her father and finding Pitka’s words a comfort during her grief, hoping his insights could work for the whole team. Describing it out loud, it almost sounds like the hit T.V. show Ted Lasso. Justin Timberlake, plays the wife-stealing, literally cocky, Jacques and, of course, Austin Powers veteran Verne Troyer joins Myers once again, as the antagonistic coach, the recipient of a few jokes too.

As you can expect, the cameos and guest appearances are still numerous, as they were in the other Mike Myers films. If you were to extrapolate off of Goldmember, you’ll get the trajectory of the humour of The Love Guru. Suffice it to say, it is an effort that puts Myer’s comedy square in the mid-2000s, the comedy game has evolved somewhat, and you can almost track yourself with the evolution of the tone of the Friedberg and Seltzer films.

I don’t think that The Love Guru should be held responsible for curtailing Myer’s career, audiences can be fickle, and you can only do the same thing so many times before the masses want something new. Still, The Love Guru is a fascinating piece of early 2000s comedy where sillier and broader gags left a mark on the landscape, leaving a lot of established jokesters to catch up or get left behind. If you can find room in your heart for love, and hockey, The Love Guru will leave you with something to meditate over.

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