Zack and Miri Make a Porno

To its credit, Zack & Miri Make A Porno is not nearly as masturbatory as director Kevin Smith’s other recent outings, namely fanboy wet dreams Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II, the latter whose references to bestiality caused a squeamish Joel Siegel to prematurely exit a critics’ screening. To outsiders not immersed in Smith’s comic book nerd-populated View Askewniverse, references to exacting revenge on internet haters (e.g., “MagnoliaFan”) or the director’s ostensive obsession with scatological humor might be absorbed as infantile, at best. While there is nothing wrong with unleashing a stream of “dick and fart” jokes upon an audience—provided they are well-delivered and smartly crafted—coarseness without context lacks comedic potency.

If there is a magnum opus in Smith’s modest filmography, it would be Chasing Amy, a risqué romcom featuring frank exchanges about sexual mishaps and a ribald explanation about how the nickname “finger cuffs” came about. Beneath the bawd, however, it succeeded as a mediation on relationships, led by characters wading in middling existences who want nothing more than to find true love. Zack and Miri moves back to this model, but isn’t nearly as sharp or sweetly sentimental as Smith’s lesbian conversion story.

During down and out economic times, where using toilet water to wash out shampoo suds is a vile reality, best friends forever Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) hatch a plan to dig themselves out of debt. Though they live miles away from the sultry epicenter of adult entertainment—California’s San Fernando Valley—the bunny rabbit-adorable duo concludes that filming a no-frills porno and selling it to their high school classmates will produce enough cash to turn the heat back on in their chilly Pittsburgh apartment. They’ve got the basics down: derivative title (Star Whores)? Check. Semi-sleazy producer (Craig Robinson)? Check. Co-stars with wacky carnal talents (i.e., the appropriately named “Bubbles,” played by former adult film star Traci Lords)? Check. They assemble their inept crew, anoint themselves stars of the picture, and set out to collect their royalties. What they don’t expect is to fall in love with one another in the process, as stories of this sort usually go.

Smith is an adept enough writer, weaving a few pointed quips with his usual dose of hyperbolic sarcasm and profanity. His shoot the shit conversations are crudely familiar and sometimes funny (if sophomoric), but a sea of Star Wars references and amusing jabs at gay porn stars can’t shellac a played-out friends-to-paramours plotline. While Amy turned the familiar dynamic on its head, culminating with a formula-defying ending that won points for its bittersweet realism, Zack and Miri concedes to romcom conventions, with some facetious smut salting the surface.

As for the controversy regarding the film’s near brush with an NC-17 rating, it’s hardly worth mentioning, as Zack and Miri’s sex scenes are more humorous than titillating, especially with Jason Mewes jack-rabbiting his way through faux pornographic setups. If nothing else, the movie is fine date fodder, leaving you feeling mildly cuddly afterward, but not the least bit aroused. It’s a solid effort gone soft, in short.

—Heidi Atwal
10.30.08

On paper, Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno would appear to be a perfect project for his particular comedic style -- a blend of R-rated talk and a G-rated mushiness. The premise is a perfect high-concept pitch -- platonic BFFs Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) are struggling twentysomethings who decide to make the titular adult film after their financial situation turns dire, and they meet a surprise guest at their high school reunion (a scene-stealing Justin Long) with an unusual career history. The catch, of course, is that they have no idea how doin' it will alter their close friendship. The setup allows Smith to revel in tons of gleefully vulgar jokes, which he spreads among every member of the cast. Rogen brings his winning slacker charm to Zack, keeping his vulnerabilities poorly hidden behind a barrage of profanity. Banks matches him well; her desperation, especially when she throws herself at an old crush (a surprisingly sweet Brandon Routh), explains why she would remain devoted to her and Zack's friendship. And since both these young actors graduated from the Judd Apatow School of Raunchy Sentiment, they know how to balance the gross-out with the heartfelt. Kevin Smith's dialogue falls short of matching the dizzying highs hit by Apatow and Co., but his decision to cast his talented new collaborators was a savvy move. These progenies of modern comedy all know how to get the maximum impact out of what's on the page, but sadly, Smith himself falls back on the familiar View Askew faces like Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson -- both of whom continually dissipate the movie's freshness, as neither is talented enough to bring anything new to the table. It's not that they're bad, they're just woefully uninspired. Smith's refusal to find new creative partnerships compromises not only the performances, but the look of the film as well. Cinematographer Dave Klein ("DP Dave" to those who enjoy Smith's always entertaining commentaries) recycles the same static setups from Clerks, mimicking the 15-year-old waking-up montage almost shot for shot during the opening credits. Chasing Amy may well have been the high point of Smith's career, revealing his talent for examining the sometimes uncomfortable collision between friendship and romantic love, but Zack and Miri still finds a fresh approach to this topic, most notably by avoiding the typical love triangle. The big scene where the two leads finally get it on in front of the camera turns out to be a highlight of Smith's career. Close up, we see the touching, intimate moment the two are sharing, while further back, we see how hilariously unpornographic it looks to everybody else on set. He wrings laughs out of the hazy border shared by love and sex without being prudish or sappy, and it's an achievement that showcases the best of what this film offers. Unfortunately, the third act never strays from the standard structure of every romantic comedy -- misunderstanding, then breakup, then will-they-or-won't-they-reunite tension. There are no surprises, and while anybody still with the film won't abandon it at this point, there is the nagging sense you're watching unrealized potential -- a problem common to all of Smith's films since Dogma. In a sense, this makes Zack and Miri stand out as Kevin Smith's most thoroughly representative film -- both for better and for worse. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide