Zach and Miri Make a Porno Review

Posted by Rick Tym on 11.03.2008

Kevin Smith's latest relies a bit too much on the "rude and crude" approach but ultimately delivers a tale sweeter than could possibly be expected from a film whose title includes the word "porno."



Elizabeth Banks - Miri
Seth Rogen - Zack
Craig Robinson - Delaney
Jason Mewes - Lester
Traci Lords - Bubbles
Katie Morgan - Stacey
Jeff Anderson - Deacon
Brandon Routh - Bobby Long
Justin Long - Brandon
Nicholas Lombardi - Teen #1
Chris Milan - Teen #2
Tom Savini - Jenkins

Kevin Smith has always been known for a particular brand of film-making which often includes equal parts lewdness, heart and somewhat bad cinematography. Zach and Miri Make a Porno has all of these familiar ingredients, but the mix isn't quite as even as one might think.

The story begins with roommates Zach (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) preparing to attend their high school reunion in Pittsburgh, PA. The day leading up to the big event shows Zach at his job as a barista at a Starbucks clone trading verbal jabs with coworker Delaney (Craig Robinson), who turns a request to work on Black Friday into a race issue even though he really just wants the day off so he too can take advantage of the sale prices offered on the busiest shopping day of the year. But even before the work day begins we see Zach and Miri preparing for the frigid winter morning at their apartment that just so happens to have a stack of unpaid bills posted in the kitchen which, as I'm sure you know by now, factor quite heavily into the proceedings.

As Miri tries on different evening wear she can't really afford at Zach's place of work before the big night, two teenage boys lounge in the coffee shop and take notice of her switching outfits and decide to capture it on a cell phone, laughing all the while at the conservative "granny panties" she is wearing. Zach stops them from filming by blocking the shot with his bare ass, earning the ire of the young customers even though they have more than enough footage to post on the net--and rather quickly, as it turns out.

At the reunion much hilarity (and a kick-ass soundtrack) ensues, including Zach getting a revenge handjob from a jilted wife in the gym and Miri's plan of getting even with a high school crush backfiring when she learns he has moved on in a much different direction that she would have ever expected. (I would be remiss if I did not mention the scene stealing performances of Brandon Routh and Justin Long, but to say any more would ruin the surprise for those who haven't yet seen it.) By the end of the night the duo learn that the video the teens filmed at the coffee shop has gone viral and garnered a gigantic number of hits.

Sooner rather than later, that stack of overdue bills comes into play as the dejected Zach and Miri make their way home and lose their water, then their power, then seemingly any rational means to erase their debt. Fearful that they will ultimately lose their apartment (which, Zach states in a great throwaway line, sucks because there's no water or heat in it anyway) they eventually decide to parlay their newfound internet fame (that of the granny panties and bare ass) into dollars by making, yes, an adult feature. Zach's reasoning, which Miri eventually agrees with, is that they can at least sell it to the 850 people on their high school's alumni mailing list (obtained from the disastrous reunion). The solid understanding the two have about having sex together for the first time after being life-long friends is shot straight to hell when it turns out they can't separate those buried feelings for the sake of cashing in on their filmed physicality.

The phrase "typical shenanigans" best describes the action that follows, at least when it comes to making a porno. Zach and Miri get financed by Delaney and allow him to be producer on the feature, fulfilling his wishes to "see some titties." A studio is secured in a filthy run-down storage unit rented from an unscrupulous owner (watch for the cameo by horror effects wizard Tom Savini) which is torn down before principal photography can even begin, forcing the shoot to relocate to the coffee shop Zach works at. Kevin Smith alums Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson are present as adult film actor and amateur cinematographer, respectively. Also present are real-life porn stars turned somewhat legitimate actresses Traci Lords and Katie Morgan. There's a lot of jokes involving the words "cock," "anal" and "fuck," and surprisingly in this View Askew go-around only about 1/3 of them stick. The gags that do manage to be amusing and shocking are great, but all too often it seems that the lewdness is present simply because that is what's expected of a movie with the word "porno" in its title, rather than being truly funny as Smith's scripted work usually is.

But when the climactic (pun definitely intended) scene comes (sincerely, no pun intended that time), Zach and Miri don't just simply have sex on top of some coffee bean sacks while the cameras roll. Rather, the entirety of the outside world seems to disappear, leaving only the two as they make love for the first time and, as we the audience knew all along, experience all those feelings of true love they've had for each other their entire adult (and presumably young adult) lives. Unless you've seen Zach and Miri it's impossible to express just how touching this seemingly non-romantic setting can be and how well Smith, who has always been accused of sloppy cinematography, films it.

It's also hard to convey the frustration that comes when the two can't admit to each other that their shared act of love meant something, and continue to lie to themselves that it was simply "business." Anyone that thinks Seth Rogen can't act should see the look of anguish and betrayal he gives Miri when he learns that she has told Stacey (Katie Morgan) that it is okay to hook up with him since it meant nothing, that they are "just friends." The shot speaks volumes of Rogen's abilities. Along with Banks's reaction as Miri to his bedroom door shutting as he prepares to make good on the hook-up offer, these scenes link this film's crude first half to the big heart that is its conclusion. Because for all the cursing and nudity that cavorts throughout Kevin Smith's latest offering, if it weren't for the amazing job done by Banks and Rogen as Miri and Zach, the tale might not be worth telling.

So, you definitely get what you expect, especially given the nature of the film's title, with Zach and Miri. Present and accounted for are some good gags, some not-nearly-as-funny-as-they-sounded scenes (especially the one that takes the use of poo from Smith's previous work, Dogma, to a whole new--and disgusting--level) and some great acting when the lines don't constantly call for use of the word "fuck." (Although, to be fair, when Banks' Miri says she likes to during one of the reunion scenes it is laugh out loud funny.) While the final part of the film that necessity dictates must include the eventual reconciliation and admittance of love from our leads may be predictable (although the full-frontal glimpse of Jason Mewes definitely is not), it's still a testament to Kevin Smith's abilities that the final line that includes this vastly overused expletive can still make the audience smile and be happy that the guy and girl finally got together.

The 411: While the first half is hit-or-miss with some predictable (and some not-so-predictable) gags pertaining to the making of an adult film, the second half manages to be as heartfelt as a movie about the making of an amateur porno could be. Great acting from Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen, along with solid stuff from always reliable Smith cronies Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes along with View Askew newcomer Craig Robinson, manages to elevate this film above the running joke it could have become. While not Kevin Smith's greatest effort by any means, it is an okay little film that could have used some more genuinely funny dialogue rather than the cast simply spewing out the word "fuck" every ten seconds. Still, it has that trademark Kevin Smith romanticism amidst all the crudeness, and manages to bring enough funny with the love story to satisfy most fans.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]