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Rant: You Ruined Mike Myers, Love Guru Is Your Fault

By Mack Rawden: 2008-06-19 23:46:30
Rant: You Ruined Mike Myers, Love Guru Is Your Fault Hey! Come in here! Yes, you and your sister. Pause Entourage and come in here for a minute. We need to talk. No, it can’t wait. We have Tivo for a reason. Just hit the pause button and sit down. Your mother and I are concerned about your behavior lately. Yes, we did find the condoms in your old cell phone drawer and your thug life brother’s little cache of marijuana behind his old skateboards. You don’t need to explain. Whoring yourself out to the popular older boys is an integral part of being a sophomore in high school and experimenting with marginally harmful, mood-altering plants is how one finds himself before college. That’s not the problem.

Our concern, mainly, is you two have become massive douche bags. If it was just that cross you wear around your neck or your sister’s heinous, completely unnecessary snow boots during the summer, we’d simply roll our eyes and let you two ruin your own lives, but your generation has started to suck so pervasively and so thoroughly it’s affecting the way art is produced in this country. No, don’t get up. You will sit here and listen to every word I have to say. You ruined Mike Myers, you little Smallville-loving prick.

Have you seen the previews for The Love Guru? Sure, you have. They’re on after the Cialis commercials. Well, Mike Myers has hit rock bottom, and it’s all your fault, you Tupac-obsessed, Chinese tattoo-emblazoned MTV product. Fifteen years ago, Mike Myers was a comic genius. It’s true. His work on Saturday Night Live was groundbreaking in a lot of ways, and So I Married An Axe Murderer was his first step toward perfecting his signature character-based comedies. I’m not even going to ask if you’ve seen it because you only seem to rent films like Transformers, but basically, it’s about this San Francisco beat poet who falls in love with a gorgeous chick working in a meat market. Well, hilarity ensues when he begins to suspect she’s a femme fatal, and there’s a goofy Scottish father, also played by Mike Myers, who shouts at the television and makes fun of his other son for having an abnormally large head. He’ll be crying himself to sleep tonight on his huge pillow! Anyway, it was all simply brilliant. And you know why? Because it was about humorous characters interacting in funny ways, with well-written, witty dialogue interspersed.

A few years later, Mike Myers made Austin Powers. Yes, I know you love that movie. I love it too. But see...here’s the thing: we love it for completely different reasons. And that well-defined difference is the reason why you’re a future Natty Lite-guzzling dufus who will probably laugh at The Love Guru and why I’m a real person who thinks for myself and will avoid that film like it was only being shown in Leper colonies.

You, and the rest of your protein shake making, chat speak using generation of uneducated nitwits, like Austin Powers because he’s an oversexualized caricature brandishing catchphrases like a bad superhero. You think Mini-Me is hilarious simply because he’s vertically-challenged and Fat Bastard is the bee’s knees because he shouts “get in my belly” in a Scottish accent. I think Austin Powers is worth laughing at because he’s an amusing, transplanted character who has real emotions and deals with these setbacks in amusing ways. I laugh because of lines like “drugs, drugs, drugs, ham sandwich.” I laugh because of lines like “Well, they should, those filthy baggers, they go from port to port.” But not you. You laugh because it’s a funny character opening his mouth and speaking. Here’s what you don’t get: Austin Powers is not enough on his own.

Listen: I can see you’re not getting this through your barb-wired biceps; so, let me try explaining this another way. We both like The Simpsons. Now, you like it because Homer Simpson drops his coffee on himself and shouts “Doh!” I like it because everyone has depth, because the show comments on society and on itself, because it’s not just Homer Simpson shouting “Doh.” I’ll be honest: I like it when people fall down. I like it when women show me their boobs. I like it when someone farts in an inappropriate situation. But that’s not enough. Let me give you an example: I have a friend who breaks wind approximately every forty-five seconds. That’s annoying. I have another friend who absolutely refuses to fart in front of other human beings ever. One time he had a chick over for dinner, started laughing uproariously, and let out a thunderous fart. I laughed for probably twenty minutes. Why? Because the farting itself isn’t funny. It’s the context (him normally not farting/ having a chick over), which made it noteworthy.

The first two Austin Powers movies were Mike Myers doing things equivalent to farting, while also spewing some hilarious dialogue and commentary on the 60s, the 90s, sex, men, women, James Bond, spy movies, and the government. Under those circumstances, it all becomes hilarious. But you don’t laugh at the societal commentary, the dialogue, or the cheeky references. You laugh uncontrollably at Mike Myers farting in the hottub and sit there blank-fasted when he responds to the phrase, “men come first and women come second” by saying, “or sometimes not at all.” You know what that reaction tells Mike Myers. Stop fucking trying! We don’t want clever dialogue. We want one character completely void of humanity spitting goddamn poop jokes for an hour and a half. And you know what? That is a problem. And that’s why your mother and I have called you in here. Grow up. Start aspiring to something more. Use your brain when you go to the movies.

Most people are probably going to blame Mike Myers for the inevitable debacle of The Love Guru. That’s fine. Some of the blame undoubtedly falls at his feet; he conceived the thing, after all. But in actuality, it’s your fault. The two of you and your Philistine friends. You don’t go support films like So I Married An Axe Murderer because you don’t feel like actively participating at the movies. You don’t feel like putting any effort into understanding what they’re saying and why they’re saying it. So, you go see absolute bullshit like Austin Powers III, where you can just stare at the screen and chortle along with the rest of the proletariat when Mike Myers uses the phrase “shag.” I get it. You guys say fucking or boning or tapping that ass or pork-swording; so, hearing the word “shag” inspires a giggle. Stop giggling! And stop telling Hollywood you want a funny concept regardless of whether the characters exist beyond just the amusing superficial level.

I hate both of you. Your punishment is to watch Clerks, a brilliant comedy about two completely normal people in normal situations that works because every single word was poured over by Kevin Smith until it was hysterical. There will be a quiz, and if you fail, I swear to God I will burn every single article of Hollister-produced clothing in your closets.



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  1. dindi Says:

    bit of an annoying rant really... Austin Powers was well overrated. I liked So I married an axe murderer though... oh and I've never watched Entourage and if I did it wouldn't be with my sister so all your generalising fell a bit flat on me, but I'm sure it will fit someone in America! was that a generalisation? oops!

    oh and that line about you liking the simpsons because of depth?? now i know youre joking. good one.

  1. Sam Says:

    Hit a little too close to home eh Dindi?

    Anyone who doesn't recognize the depth in the Simpsons has far less credibility than the author of this rant. Seriously, after all of these years how can The Simpsons have gone completely over your head? Geez.

    Nice rant Mack. Sadly true. Dindi would appear to be a case in point.

  1. Dindi Says:

    wow sam, no not close to home at all, miles away actually and I don't think anyone needs to have recognised any depth in any program (EVER!) to have an opinion but thanks for yours, it's greatly appreciated.

    And I am not a case in point for you as I don't accept 'Geez' as being a real word and thus makes your whole comment invalid to me although your opinion is totally respected by me but sadly Sam you are my case in point of Americans not having a sense of humour and taking TV shows too seriously... I'm just going to go and watch Extras now, an English comedy program with depth.

  1. z0rr0 Says:

    The Simpsons HAD depth. Lately it's just Homer being a stupid shadow of the clever silly man he was. The only time he shows up or speaks is to be either a dick or a non-funny clown. I'll keep watching re-runs of previous seasons.

  1. Legna Says:

    "I have a friend who breaks wind approximately every forty-five seconds. That’s annoying. I have another friend who absolutely refuses to fart in front of other human beings ever. One time he had a chick over for dinner, started laughing uproariously, and let out a thunderous fart. I laughed for probably twenty minutes. Why? Because the farting itself isn’t funny."

    Mack I think this is the first thing you have ever said that made me like you ;)

  1. Cornflakes Says:

    Mike Judge should be an officially recognized prognosticator. Before long, we will all be shopping at the 700,000 sq ft Costco and trying to water crops with Brawndo ('cause it's got more electrolytes). And don't even get me started about the ecomony.

  1. jason Says:

    Mack,

    At some point you’re going to need to grow up and realize that you’re wasting your time to whine about the stupidity of people in this society. To simply blame “stupid people” for being stupid is quite an ignorant leap – a capitalistic society benefits tremendously from having easy access to plenty of stupid consumers. We could easily place stringent regulations on all of the things that keep people stupid, but that would be…well…stupid.

    Would you rather have a non-sh*tty version of Love Guru, or a society that rakes in billions for selling pay day loans, fast food, porn, and sh*tty movies? I’ll take the later, thanks. If you’re going to fault anyone for the Love Guru’s level of suckage, the only person you can rightfully blame is Mike Myers, but even then, you’d just be whining about someone taking advantage of their opportunity. You might call it selling out, but I’d call it not being stupid.

    I understand the overall frustration (I was a huge fan of Arrested Development, btw), but at some point you’re going to need to accept that we live in a society with people of varying I.Q.s (plenty of which are significantly higher than yours) and figure out a way to enjoy and appreciate that fact.

  1. mojo_iv Says:

    Didn't our parent's generation lay this exact same trip on us when Beverly Hills Cop came out in the 80s? Isn't this, oh, I dunno, the pot calling the kettle black?

  1. Galt Says:

    Dindi: Learn to rend those run-on sentences into smaller, more coherent units. Oh, and try not to be a titanic douche while you're at it.

    "as I don't accept 'Geez' as being a real word and thus makes your whole comment invalid to me"

    Go ahead, put it back in context, and you'll still find that that sentence makes no grammatical sense. Therefore, under your logic, your entire life is invalidated to me.

    See? Does it feel good having your opinions insulted by an anonymous netizen for completely off-base and vapid reasons? No, it doesn't. Read the fucking article, disagree with it if you feel like it, but assholes like you ruin what could potentially be an intelligent discussion with inanity.

    Yes, I'm very anal and perturbed by things like this, and am a giant hypocrite, but I believe my point is valid.

    And for the record, generalizations are humorous. The article is not in a science journal for a reason.

  1. Absocraply Says:

    I don't agree that Meyers was ever a genius. He was very fortunate to have been involved in SNL at it's highest point ever and as he move further and further from that past his true self and capabities are showing for what they are, not much..

    As far as the standards of modern audiences the bar just keeps lowering.. It only takes 5 minutes of watching Dane Cook do what today's audience considers hi comedy to realize these people have expecations as high as their attention spans are long.. Make it quick, make it slick, and make it pretty.

    So sad.

  1. Mack Rawden Says:

    Hi, my name is Mack Rawden, and I'm a pompous piece of shit. I enjoy romantic candle-lit dinners, walks on the beach, pretty much everything you do, but you're a retard and I'm infinitely better than you.

  1. Ian Says:

    I think him doing the Shrek trilogy ruined his own creativity. On top of that, the national lampoon, "American Pie-eque" no brainer comedies are whats been popular for the past 8 years and it sucks but those movies are easier to produce than something with any wit. Mike Myers is a burn-out.

  1. johnny5k Says:

    I mostly agree with the author, although I don't know if all the blame can be placed on the new generation of movie-goers. A lot of the blame should be placed on the movie industry for pushing movies like The Love Guru. While I think there are more of these movies than there used to be, I don't think it's fair to say they've just started down that path. They've been making mindless crap for decades, many of which make lots of money, which is why they'll keep making them. It's a chicken-or-the-egg paradox. If they'd quit making crap, audiences would expect more. If people stopped paying to watch crap, the industry would stop making it. So I think we'll always have a few 'classes' of movie-goers. Movies like The Love Guru will continue to be made, and a lot of people will go see them. But people like the author and myself will continue to invest in higher level entertainment.

    And yeah, shame on Mike Myers for even doing the movie. He used to be genius. But I think he's already played out all the jokes he's got in him.. many more than once, as evident by this latest movie. Perhaps he should resign to cartoon voice talent and late-night interviews.

  1. warplayer Says:

    A little late joining the conversation here, but this is directed at Dindi up there:

    You say The Simpsons has no depth, and yet you go off to watch Extras, which was penned by Ricky Gervais, and he lists The Simpsons as one of his biggest influences on his work.

    Maybe you don't respect others' opinions quite as much as you state?

  1. Shane Ronzio Says:

    "I like it when women show me their boobs."
    huh huh huh...
    I like boobs...I like money, too.
    Huh huh huh...
    Brawndo got more electrolytes.

  1. bobby Says:

    @Dindi

    Ricky Gervais, the writer and star of "Extras", the excellent British comedy with depth said that "The Simpsons" is his favorite show of all time.

  1. John Says:


    -10+ funny years from Mr Myers is good enough from me. hes had a very successful career.
    - its up to the comedian to make us laugh, and us to determine why.
    -without deviation there can be no progress, so let people like what they want. even if it is bad tattoos and MTV.

  1. pedro Says:

    an entire rant about mike myers and not ONE WORD about shrek OR wayne's world!?

    wayne's world, wayne's world, party time, excellent! zingzingzingazingazing!

  1. Mike Says:

    I remember seeing on IMDB when the Austin Powers sequel was in pre-production they had Mike Myers listed playing Austin/Dr. Evil/Fat Bastard and a character called Guru. It didnt make the final cut. So that means we are in for a real piece of pure comedic gold... ugh

  1. submarinesoup Says:

    This rant is a perfect example of a straw man argument. The author simply diminishes my generation with derogatory banter and uses more a more sophisticated tone when describing how people in his generation view things, making us look like a bunch of idiots to any idiot who stumbles in here. But it should ring hollow to anyone with half a brain. We're all happy that you can make narrow-minded generalizations, Mack. But wake up, we're not a confederacy of sell-outs, there's just as much diversity here as can be found among your sacred baby-boomers.
    Also, you're going to eat crow with that "uneducated nitwits" comment, since college enrollment has been steadily climbing for years. That's right, Mr. Rowden, we'll be a lot more educated than you and yours, mark my words. Oh, and please, for your own sake, don't use "douche bag" unless you are referring to an actual female hygiene device; it doesn't look good on anyone outside of their 20s.

  1. Matt Says:

    I like how most of you assume Mack is not the same age as you. LOL I'm not giving his age away but he's definitely in his college years.

  1. Shannie Says:

    What came first, the chicken or the egg? The banal, inane, stereotypical, and shallow movies or the the banal, inane, stereotypical, and shallow movie goers? I sure as hell don't know. As someone is who old enough to have appreciated the Simpson's from almost the beginning of it's career yet young enough to have barely escaped the reality t.v. obsessing, Ugg boot with skirt wearing, emo-fanatical generation I feel that I can provide a fair view point. Every generation has its posers. And unfortunately, these days it's the posers that get the most publicity. Due to this tragedy (I say tragedy because if they come out with one more celebrity wash-up reality show such as Brett Michaels on Survivor Island with Skanky-Ho's and Their Husbands and a Lot of Booze: Let's See Who Can Stay Married!, I'm gonna hurl), the comedic geniuses of the past are choosing to sell out to a juvenile generation's sense of juvenile behavior. Sad, but true. And, the Simpson's DID have depth. No more, because the humorous social commentary on alcoholism, spousal codependency, child abuse, and the deterioration of the American family is lost on the youth of today. So to survive, Simpson's has tried to reinvent itself into a Family Guy look-alike and sadly, it just doesn't work.

  1. ryn Says:

    i think it's ridiculously hilarious how all of you guys are talking about how he's wrong. but i can say that i just finished my sophomore year in high school (the age he claims the daughter to be) and this guy is dead on in his accusations. you might not realize it, but yes, that is how most of my generation acts. i like to think i'm above it, but what do i know?
    while i never really was into mike meyers, i do have to say that this was an awesome rant. made me laugh at the incredible truth of it and hey, since i'm under twenty, can i still call y'all douche bags?

    oh, and p.s. education means shit if the student doesn't know how to use it.

  1. baracuda68 Says:

    Did I miss something? What about Wayne's World? No mention of that?
    It rocked at the time!

  1. towlie Says:

    Great rant there I agree with pretty much all of what you say, being from the UK I d like to think we have a slightly better class of humour because of all the great comedy from here,but recently its been pretty much the same shit as you guys have been getting.

    I was watching so i married an axe murder the other day after not watching it for a few years and it reminded me of the pure genius behind it and Mike myers perfecting his character voices and mannerism is brilliant.

    One of my all time favourite shows is south park which i think deserves a mention as it has some of the best social commentary of any tv program.

    I agree with some of the other comments though that although i still like the simpsons its no longer the show it once was and is now mostly crappy oneliners and stupid lisa.

    Towlie

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