Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Written and Directed by: Kevin Smith
Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson, Kenny Hotz, Justin Long, Traci Lords, Brandon Routh

It’s hard to believe that Kevin Smith has been making a living off low brow comedies for almost 15 years now, but what started as a fresh and fiercely independent style of filmmaking has now essentially become a tired routine and a bit of a creative crutch. His last film, Clerks 2, was probably more fun to shoot than it was to watch, but it was also the exact opposite of what he should have been doing with his career. Instead of stepping outside of his comfort zone to try something new, he had merely retreated back to that one movie for which he had received almost unanimous praise (ie. an achievement that he could never possibly hope to surpass).

Now, once again, Kevin Smith finds himself in a similar scenario. After hinting at some intriguing new possible projects such as a horror movie and a sci-fi flick, he put them on the backburner in order to return to the all-too-familiar world of dick and fart jokes. The result is quite potentially the ultimate low brow comedy: Zack and Miri Make a Porno. And yet, even though the premise to this movie seemed way too juvenile and designed purely for shock value, Zack and Miri still managed to touch me in all the right places. Err… what I meant to say was, Zack and Miri left me feeling satisfied and with a smile on my face. Nevermind. Let’s just say, it was a funny movie, and a step in the right direction for Kevin Smith.

Zack Brown (Seth Rogen) and Miri Linky (Elizabeth Banks) have been close friends since elementary school, and now they are twenty-something roommates, working crappy jobs, just barely managing to pay their bills. One day they attend their high school reunion, only to find out that Miri’s former crush (Brandon Routh) is now dating a gay porn star (Justin Long). With their finances dwindling and their water and power both cut off, Zack comes up with a brilliant idea: they should make their own porno. So after recruiting a hockey buddy (Jeff Anderson) to shoot the thing, and his coffee shop co-worker (Craig Robinson) to front the cash, they’re off and running. There’s just one problem… Zack and Miri are supposed to star in the movie, but they have feelings for each other that neither of them knew existed.

For me, the main strength of this movie comes from having a new cast in front of the camera than the one that Smith usually works with. While some may question the ability of Seth Rogen to carry a film, I think he already proved himself with Knocked Up. Rogen’s delivery somehow made Smith’s dialogue seem a little more natural, and at times, made me forget that I was even watching a Kevin Smith movie (although I did come to the disturbing realization that Rogen looks exactly like Kevin Smith with a jew fro). Elizabeth Banks is lovable and hilarious, and thankfully not whiney like most of Smith’s female characters tend to be. Together, their innocence also manages to counter balance a lot of the dirty jokes and non-stop potty mouth dialogue that runs through most of the movie.

I think Craig Robinson has been underused on The Office and in previous films like Pineapple Express, but here he shows what he can do when he has a larger role: he brings the funny. Sure his role of “indignant black man” has been done many times before, but he almost certainly has most of the flick’s best lines. I wasn’t all that amused by Justin Long’s role, but I did enjoy the short little appearance from Kenny Hotz of Kenny vs Spenny fame. And yes, I would have preferred if Smith could have made a clean break and simply left Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson out of this particular movie, but at the same time, they kinda worked for the roles they were given.

It breaks down like this: the first half of Zack and Miri Make a Porno is very funny — much funnier than I anticipated. There were a few annoying pop culture references like the YouTube video that Miri inadvertently stars in, and of course, the various porno titles (which were pretty unfunny for the most part), but Smith kept things simple and wisely avoided the typical long-winded Lord of the Rings/Star Wars geek rants. When they start making a Star Wars-themed porno, it seemed like Smith was just doomed to repeat himself all over again, but fortunately it doesn’t last long and the movie goes in a different direction.

The final act is where things get all sappy, and although some of it is very forced, I found it a heck of a lot more endearing than Clerks 2 ever was. Smith still seems to be stuck in the ’90s when it comes to soundtracks, and while I can’t complain about the inclusion of The Pixies or Primus, I can’t believe he made Zack and Miri’s love scene set to a Live song (previously unreleased, no less)! That is just corny, man.

It’s pretty obvious that Smith is trying to ape the Judd Apatow formula in his own way, which kind of makes sense. Smith and Apatow’s movies have a lot in common, but Apatow was the one who found a way to make his stories a bit more relatable and consistently win over the critics as well. Kudos to Smith for realizing that the true secret to Apatow’s success is not Seth Rogen, however, but rather, full frontal male nudity.

While Zack and Miri Make a Porno probably won’t be making many “Best Of” lists at the end of the year, I can’t deny that I laughed a fair amount and cared more about the characters than I thought I ever would. It did feel like it was missing an extra plot twist or two, but I seriously doubt the hardcore Kevin Smith fans will find it lacking at all. I actually think it could be the best thing Smith has done since Chasing Amy, which is a pretty decent compliment. Whether or not Smith can eventually make the transition to slightly more mature comedy or even cross over into other genres remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: he has now officially taken the poop joke as far as it can possibly go! — Sean

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