Zack and Miri Make a Porno Review [2]

Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 11.04.2008

Kevin Smith tries to make another sentimental film. This time he is smart enough to throw in potty humor and porn but does it work?

Directed by Kevin Smith
Written by Kevin Smith

Cast
Elizabeth Banks ... Miri
Seth Rogan ... Zack
Jason Mewes ... Lester
Brandon Routh ... Bobby Long
Justin Long ... Brandon
Tom Savini ... Jenkins
Jeff Anderson ... Deacon
Ricky Mabe ... Barry
Katie Morgan ... Stacey
Craig Robinson ... Delaney
Traci Lords ... Bubbles
Tisha Campbell-Martin ... Delaney’s Wife



Rated R on appeal for strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language.
Running Time: 101 min


It might seem strange, but a movie about a group of people making a porno might be Kevin Smith’s most mature film since Chasing Amy.

Zack (Seth Rogan) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been close friends and roommates for close to ten years. Thanks to a slacker attitude, Zack is partially responsible for the two getting their electricity and water shut off. I say partially, because at no point in the movie do we ever hear what Miri actually does for a living. She wakes Zack up at the beginning to drop her off at work but that is all we hear about a job. That is one problem Smith faces in most of his movies. He writes great characters for his actors but his actresses, outside of Chasing Amy, are paper thin. Hell, we actually know more about Zack’s friend Delaney (Craig Robinson from The Office) than we know about Miri.

That really doesn’t matter because Kevin Smith movies are all about the dialogue and, in Zack and Miri, that is even hit and miss. The movie starts off painfully slow. Much of the first quarter sets up the relationship between the title characters. The two talk about everything you might expect platonic friends of the opposite sex to talk about. There is a funny moment when Zack uses Miri’s hand warmer on his balls but overall, the comedy is slow burning. There are also extended scenes of Delaney and Zack involving racial humor but they don’t come across as funny and almost seem added to increase controversy.

Thankfully, everything changes once Zack and Miri arrive at their ten year class reunion. If you have ever been to a high school reunion, or been in a completely awkward situation, this scene should make you uncomfortable watching Miri embarrass herself. She immediately seeks out an old high school crush, former star quarterback Bobby Long (Brandon Routh), and tries to whore herself out. Meanwhile Zack meets a new friend named Brandon (Justin Long) who turns out to be Bobby Long’s gay lover. Brandon Routh and Justin Long are priceless in this scene and match up with just about any other Kevin Smith pairing in his back catalogue. The scene is both awkwardly embarrassing and very, very funny and the movie just picks up steam from there.

Brandon (Long) is a gay porn star and while Zack and Miri are pondering their predicament, Zack has a revelation. He believes they can also make a porn movie, helping pull themselves out of their financial difficulties. To make this porn they enlist a small group of dedicated and enthusiastic people. Jeff Anderson (Clerks) is Deacon, hired to be the cinematographer. Delaney is brought onboard as a producer because he has money. The cast of the porn is filled out by an entertainer named Bubbles (Traci Lords), a stripper named Stacey (Katie Morgan), a guy named Barry (Ricky Mabe) and Jason Mewes as Lester.

We get a decent amount of nudity, mostly from Mewes, who goes full frontal, and from the beautiful Katie Morgan. If you have seen any of Morgan’s HBO porn specials, you know she is one of the cutest, bubbly people you could ever imagine. She is a delight in the movie, tackling her role with the same enthusiasm she approaches her HBO specials. Mewes is also in good form, shedding his Jay persona and really stretching his acting chops here. I will mention there is one scene in the movie where Deacon is shooting an anal shot from beneath them that doesn’t end up very well for the poor cameraman. It is a disgusting scene I absolutely loved.

The best parts of the movie involve the development between Zack and Miri. The two have been best friends for years and when they finally have their sex scene for the porn, it is a wonderful moment. I was surprised to see the naked honesty in this scene from funnyman Seth Rogan. I was a bit disappointed in Smith’s writing at the pivotal turning point in the second act, as he writes from the male perspective and doesn’t really seem to paint a fair picture on the Miri character. When the chips finally fall it seems Zack is the innocent who is wronged and Miri is undeserving. Maybe it’s just strange to see a guy figure things out so early instead of the other way around. It is a credit to Elizabeth Banks who uses her reactions to help you understand what her character is going through because the script doesn’t give her much to work with. When the resolution arrives, you know what Kevin Smith was shooting for, but the writing for this female role needed work.

At the end of the day, after the boring opening and the poor development of the female lead, the movie works surprisingly well. You really start to care about the characters, especially Zack. The supporting characters are used with great humor and the comedy is smart throughout the film. Zack and Miri might be considered Smith’s best movie since Chasing Amy and it deserves this status. The dialogue is good, which is expected from Smith. He still isn’t the best director in the world but he knows how to set up a joke. It also has the prerequisite potty humor that is needed to satisfy his core fan base while keeping the movie grounded in the perfect touch of sentimentality.

Just when you think things are getting a little too mushy for a Kevin Smith film, Mewes whips out his schlong and you remember your watching a View Askew movie. I left the theater with a giant smile on my face and, with a Kevin Smith movie that’s all I ask.

The 411: Zack and Miri Make a Porno might be the best Kevin Smith film since Chasing Amy. It has the sentimentality of Jersey Girl, the maturity of Chasing Amy, and the potty humor of Clerks. I don’t see how it ended up with an R-Rating based on Jason Mewes “showmanship” but I can appreciate his dedication to his craft. Katie Morgan is a Goddess and happily carried her weight in a “proper film.” Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks are both quality leads and fans of View Askew should leave this movie completely satisfied.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]