Giving context to Myers’ promo

MIKE MYERS’ promotion of “The Love Guru” on the “American Idol” finals was hilarious. Paul Brownfield’s article on the comic’s new vehicle and career [“Seeing Whose Laughs Lasts,” May 25] doesn’t capture that fun and seems to miss the modern context for the humor. Perhaps he supposes that the guru references hearken back only to boomer hippies and the recently departed Maharishi’s commercial meditation enterprise.

Yet the presence of so many Indians working in America and the emergence of India as a technologically developed country changes the context of the references and the consumer base.

Narrowly focused articles that address only the movie industry business miss the cultural implications and trivialize the products, as if good comedy isn’t an art form worth appreciating.

Susan Self

San Diego

IDISAGREE with Paul Brownfield about “Spanglish.” I don’t think Adam Sandler bombed. This movie amazingly dealt with so many issues in a thoughtful way. Sandler doesn’t understand how good he is in this kind of a part, so he reverts to the silly, snide clown persona.

Brownfield makes the point that the silliness can’t go on forever but doesn’t leave room for [Sandler’s] developing this side.

Tamara Kirkendall

El Segundo