The Guru Review
The Guru delves into subject matter that's long overdue for parody, but no less ripe for the delay: the trendy celebrity obsession with Eastern religion, seen in such stars as Madonna and Richard_Gere. That it does this effectively is a pleasant surprise. But what makes Daisy von Scherler Mayer's film all the more likeable is its uncommon warmth, which qualifies it as a romantic comedy or wish-fulfillment fantasy as much as a satire. Setting the tone is the exquisite Jimi_Mistry as Ramu Gupta, who leaves India to pursue Hollywood pipe dreams, but encounters a new variation on stock ethnic casting while serving as an emergency fill-in for a drunken swami. That he hoodwinks the stuffy Manhattanites at the party is a detail one just has to accept, but Mistry's earnest charisma makes this -- and his meteoric rise to fame -- that much easier to swallow. Himself a newcomer to Hollywood, and therefore a kindred spirit to his character, Mistry has a true dynamism that plays well alongside his leading ladies. Heather_Graham in particular does much stronger work than her track record, while Marisa_Tomei embraces the trickier task of humanizing her loopy socialite, who would have been a mere fool in lesser hands. These three are hopeless optimists, but The Guru chooses to love their foibles rather than ridicule them, a determining factor in the kind of movie it wants to be. This sentimental core is clear during the film's high point: a vibrant song and dance number that's a homage to both the traditional Bollywood cinema of Ramu's native land and to Grease, the American film that taught the young Ramu to dream. Derek Armstrong, Rovi
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