In If It Ain’t Broke, Break It, one of the characters asks Dr. Ravi Godse, “With a friend like you, who needs enemies?” That’s a fair question, for Ravi is up to his old tricks again. Happily, he makes us chuckle even more here than in his first two films -- Dr. Ravi & Mr. Hyde and I’m A Schizophrenic and So Am I.

Instead of changing into a moviemaking monster or wondering about his own sanity, our hero takes on a mission to improve the lives of six friends. Why? Ravi’s doctor tells him he only has six months to live, so he wants to make the best of it. “I love helping others,” he insists.

Ravi’s idea of “help” includes misguided matchmaking efforts plus attempts to change the intelligence level of his secretary and persuading another friend to enroll in medical school. When these grandiose plans begin to unravel, Ravi refuses to give up, despite his wife’s suspicion about his strange behavior. Ravi’s dogged determination, off-beat humor and positive outlook are definitely something to behold.

I always look forward to a movie written, directed and starring Ravi Godse, a physician in the movie and in real life. He’s on my list of favorite independent filmmakers, and I’m so glad he plays an amusing version of himself in each film. He’s such a unique, endearing character -- faults and all!

Other cast members in If It Ain’t Broke, Break It also deliver excellent performances. Standouts are darling Sabrina Bryan (TV’s The Cheetah Girls and Dancing with the Stars) as Ravi’s cute-but- not-very-smart secretary, Rondell Sheridan (TV's That’s So Raven) as a genial guy not suited for medical training, and the always  believable Richard Kind (A Serious Man) as Ravi’s nose-to-the-grindstone lawyer. Kind is especially intriguing when his stuffy character starts taking a poetry class (at Ravi's suggestion). But the biggest acting surprise in this gem of a comedy involves Steve Guttenberg’s (Police Academy) humorous turn as a poetry instructor, an example of daring against-type casting that actually works. Also, gorgeous newcomer Robyne Parrish lights up the screen as a key victim of Ravi’s matchmaking schemes. And Chris Procopio's original music deserves recognition for adding considerably to the film's charm.   

Will Ravi live beyond six months?

How will his friends react to the way he meddled in their lives?

Will Ravi’s short-tempered wife (Adrienne Wehr) finally understand his good intentions?

Does anyone benefit from Ravi’s mission?

It’s great fun finding out the answers to those questions!

If It Ain’t Broke, Break It makes us laugh at the quirks of human nature. But it also gives us something important to think about: assuming responsibility for someone else’s happiness may be too risky -- even for Dr. Ravi.        

(Released by Panorama. Premiering at the Three Rivers Film Festival on Friday, November 6, 2009. Not rated by MPAA.)

For more information about this film, please click here. Listen to Dr. Ravi's BlogTalkRadio interview here.