A decent 90 minute diversion

Rating: 5/10 (22 September 2008)

Before seeing this movie I'd read a few scathing reviews. So, I went into this movie expecting the worst. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The film is fair, with several hysterical laugh out loud moments.
I do believe that there are too many emotional threads which may have lead to the generation of so many poor reviews. There are times where the movie struggles to have heart, but fails. Other instances the movie wants to have high action, which is decent. And further times where the film goes straight to potty humor, which is raunchy and pretty good. Some of the characters could have been given more depth. For example, Jessica Alba's character is fairly weak, as is Myer's side kick/assistant. Although entertaining, Myers' character is not very engaging or admirable. The main character's self realization is undercut by the lack of high quality writing coupled with the lack of character depth.
There are some pluses however. Justin Timberlake's character is great. Way over the top! There is some good physical comedy, and the elephant scene is hysterical. The interaction of Stephen Colbert and Jim Gaffigan is excellent (reminded me of the sports commentators from Bedazzled-2000.) I like the fact that they used real NHL teams and such, Rob Blake appeared for his team, and that action looked fairly authentic. I was also surprised that Deepak Chopra himself appeared in the film.
It would seem that the script was one draft shy of finding success. However, having to satisfy the studio, NHL, and Deepak Chopra may have led to the weakness of the script. If you come to this movie with low expectations you will probably enjoy it. However, if you are coming to this movie expecting the next great film from Myers, you will no doubt be sorely disappointed. Take it for what it is worth, a 90 minute diversion from real life, brain candy, and all in fun.