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Dom Robinson reviews
- Cert:
- Cat.no: 9070559
- Running time: 91 minutes
- Year: 2002
- Pressing: 2003
- Region(s): 2, 4 (UK PAL)
- Chapters: 20 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
- Languages: English, Hungarian
- Subtitles: English, Hungarian
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras:Music Video, Deleted Scenes, Photo Gallery, Trailers, Audio commentaries
Director:
- Daisy Von Scherler Mayer
(The Guru, Madeline, Party Girl, Woo)
Producers:
- Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Michael London
Screenplay:
- Tracey Jackson
Original Music :
- David Carbonara
Cast :
- Ramu Gupta: Jimi Mistry
Sharonna: Heather Graham
Lexi: Marisa Tomei
Dwain: Michael McKean
Rusty: Dash Mihok
Vijay: Emil Marwa
Amit: Raahul Singh
Chantal: Christine Baranski
Swami Bu: Ajay Mehta
Rasphal the Cook: Sanjeev Bhaskar
Jimi Mistry is The Guruin the title, but something he doesn’t even speculate will happen when hefirst comes to America to seek his fortune.
After he’s received letters from his brother about how easy it is to make asuccess of yourself, he promises to fulfil the American dream of becoming astar because if a sibling can get to live in a penthouse with a Mercedes, thenso can anyone. Only… his brother hasn’t. He was lying. His brother worksin a restaurant as a waiter and slums it in a four-bedroom flat – that is,a one-room flat with four mattresses in it for them and a couple of others,including one illegal immigrant, in which to hole up together.
Ramu (Jimi Mistry) inadvertently and successfully passes an auditionto work as an adult star for porn baron Dwain(Spinal Tap‘sMichael McKean) by trotting out a hilarious spoof of Tom Cruise’sunderwear “Old Time Rock N Roll” dance from Risky Business. However,when he comes to ‘perform’ with the reknowned Sharonna (Heather Graham),he has a rather limp bizkit.
As circumstances change and Ramu winds up filling in at short notice for thegreat wise one, Swami Bu (Ajay Mehta), at a function held by agingsocialite Chantal (Cybill‘s Christine Baranski), little by littlehe finds that the wisdom taught to him in private lessons by Sharrona, whereshe thinks she’s teaching him how to be a better porn star, helps him to gothe distance as a sex guru. It’s an unlikely scenario, but one that pulls offwell.
Firstly, the words of carnal knowledge help him to pull Chantal’s daughterLexi (the gorgeous I-can’t-believe-she’s-nearly-40 Marisa Tomei)and then it’s clear that there’s feelings being shown between him and Sharrona,but how can they become a couple when she’s engaged to be married to a beefyAmerican fireman? Well, it’s clear that there’s an element of romantic comedyin this movie but it’s well done to the point that it doesn’t intrude in theproceedings too much and when love springs eternal, it’s delivered as abrilliant spoof of Grease.
Ramu finds reading ‘Dear Deirdre’
helps Lexi rearrange her chakaras.
The film is presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio and isanamorphic. There’s only slight defects from time to time but nothing to worryabout. The sound is in Dolby Digital 5.1 for English and Hungarian, plus anEnglish-only DTS 5.1 soundtrack. I always go for the latter option and itsounds great, but being a comedy it’s not effectively used outside the musicand dancing scenes.
There aren’t a massive amount of extras, but what we have is as follows:
- Music Video (4 mins):The Sugababes‘ “Round Round”. Used in the film but not quitemy cup of tea. I’m sure Keisha’s nearly showing a nipple at one point.
- Deleted Scenes (9 mins):Presented in slightly iffy letterbox format, there’s an extended openingscene, a kitchen scene with Jimi Mistry and the cook, The Kumars‘Sanjeev Bhaskar and then a few brief clips which the film can livewithout.
- Photo Gallery (75 seconds):Pictures to the backing of music.
- Trailers: Main (2 mins) and teaser (1 min) trailers for this film, plus brief theatricaltrailers (1 min each) for Ned Kelly and that bloody Johnny English film again.
- Audio commentaries:Two here. One from director Daisy von Scherler Mayer and writerTracey Jackson, the other coming from lead star Jimi Mistry.
The main menu has an animated intro before getting to the static selectablepart, but is accompanied by music that is annoying at first, but once you’veseen the film it does become infectious. Subtitles are in English andHungarian and there are 20 chapters to the film.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.