The Guru Movie Review:


The Guru, or The Guru of Sex as it was originally titled is the latest movie from UK outfit Working Title that stars Jimi Mistry, Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei. I have been looking forward to seeing this movie for well over a year now, back when I first saw images from the set of Heather Graham and Jimi Mistry dressed as if they were at a wedding. Now it didn't look your trad wedding it looked like it was being mixed in with a Bollywood number. Thankfully this is what happens.

The movie throws a great number of influences into its melting pot and gives us a new twist on the age old romantic comedy. The plot, not that there is much in this movie, what there is is excellent and would actually detract from the enjoyment if they had overcomplicated it. The movie mixes in bollywood dance numbers, Grease, porn, comedy, philosphy and oh a dash more comedy to bring us one of my favourite movies of the year so far.

Ok, so what's the premise of the movie, Jimi Mistry an aspiring actor gets mistaken for a Guru, mistakenly ends up on a porn movie and uses Heather Graham's philosophy to blag his way as the Guru. Marisa Tomei believes his shtick is for real and helps him to be become famous.

Jimi Mistry is the standout here, he plays most of the movie with a great sense of wonder and is great at carrying the comedy moments, of which there are many during the movie. Heather Graham although playing a porn star is remarkably naive and sweet which adds to the excellent mix.I'll be honest when I felt she was wooden in some scenes, but superb in others. Marisa Tomei is wonderfully kooky as the out there spiritual believer.

And yes this movie is genunely funny. There are some truly laugh out loud moments during the movie. Two that come to mind are Mistry's description of his sexual organs as Macarena and his room mates offer to star in a porn movie that Mistry turns down "I''ll do it!!, "Did you tell her I do it?"

The Guru is not just about comedy however, It does make you feel for the characters, I felt for Heather Graham's character who used a philosophy to get through her porno career, while still being as wholesome as apple pie with Randy her fiance. Who incidentally knows nothing of her profession.

It's not the deepest movie in the world and although touching on subjects such as the stereotyping of Indians, ie they work in restaurants, it doesn't get bogged down in that side of things, preferring to touch on them and turn it lighthearted. I liked the fact that all the characters had nice sides to them. Now normally I like to see a good mixture of good and bad in a movie, but I felt that this suited such a feel good movie perfectly. In fact the best way I can describe it is as sweet but not sickly.

The mixture of Bollywood and Grease was another excellent segment of the movie and I wholeheartedly enjoyed seeing Mistry and Graham hamming it up as Travolta and Newton John.

The movie came in at the standard an hour and a half, but I can honestly say I did not notice the time as I was enjoying myself so much.

It's a great Saturday night enjoyment movie, one to take your girlfriend (or wife in my case) to. But don't go expecting the most intellectual movie, go expecting to enjoy yourself. I sure as hell did.

Gary Gray

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