Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

For those who love the movies of Kevin Smith (the King of Bathos) as much as I do, it's important that you wait until you see the bluescreen before you leave the theater. That's right, watch the titles, wait *through* the color bar, and don't leave until you see the parental guidance screen (again). I'd be writing a spoiler if I told you why, but if you like this movie you'll want to keep watching till it's *all over*.

This clearly is not a movie for prudes or anyone who can be offended by (in no order) making fun of gay people (in a friendly way), making fun of heterosexual people (in a friendly way), poop jokes, in fact, jokes about or show of any bodily function, including copulation, swearwords of any variety, making fun of sex, making fun of marriage, someone sitting on a toilet, um well, offended by just about anything. In fact, if you can be offended by anything except violence and intolerance, this movie is probably not for you.

However, if you'd like some lighthearted fun about cappuccino-flavored love, and you like Kevin Smith's stuff, go for it.

Fmovies: Zack Brown and Miriam Linky are platonic best friends, roommates, and underachievers who've known each other since the first grade. They're both perfectly content with their below average status, until they find themselves eyeball deep in debt and facing the threat of eviction. The solution? Make an adult video hoping it will provide the financial stability they so desperately need, but can their lifelong friendship survive the complication of sex? On the surface this raunchy comedy is nothing more than an outrageously vulgar, foulmouthed version of When Harry met Sally, but at its heart is a sweet, genuine, and believable analysis of the frailties prevalent in a male-female friendship. Not always uproariously funny, but easily likable with a script that challenges viewers to keep track of enough sexually explicit dialogue for three films! Rogen and Banks have great chemistry. ***

I saw this movie at the opening of Fantastic Fest in Austin, with Kevin Smith live. The whole theater was roaring with laughter for at least 3/4 of the movie. If you're a fan of his films, you won't be disappointed. If you're not, get the hell on board, cause this movie is hilarious. The movie has some of his most classic scenes by far, with some great performances and spectacular lines by Justin Long, Rogen, Mewes, and Craig Robinson who steals the show. I guarantee you won't leave the theater unsatisfied. It's like Clerks 2 had sex with Dogma, and left the horrendous emotional scenes at the door, and kept the bad ass dialogue thoroughly intact.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno fmovies. As Jackie Treehorn laments in The Big Lebowski, pornos these days lack plot, and production values, and feelings. Kevin Smith's "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" would make Jackie quite proud.

The basic plot revolves around two friends, Zack and Miri. The two have a platonic relationship and live together. As they hit dire financial straits, Zack suggests they should make a porno and sell it to make money to pay rent, utilities, etc.

I went into this film with some hesitation. I left quite impressed. Seth Rogen proves he can convey emotion and still be funny. Elizabeth Banks provides the perfect on-screen mate for Rogen. However, I feel, as did others who saw the preview, that Craig Robinson (Darrell from The Office) steals nearly every scene he is in.

Zack and Miri heartily earns its R rating. It is easy to see how the MPAA nearly rated it NC-17. No matter the rating, I would whole-heartedly recommend this movie to anyone (with the exception of grandparents).

I love deceptive marketing campaigns. Usually, they make movies hit-or-misses financially, but deceptive marketing shows a lot of faith in a film, which is what every viewer should have in this one. Have faith in the fact that this film, despite being controversial and borderline wrong in some parts, is one of the funniest and sweetest romantic comedies of the decade. What happens when you mix Kevin Smith's witty and snappy dialog with the outrageous humor of a guy like Seth Rogen? Pure brilliance, that's what.

Z&M is a movie of depth and emotion. Yes, I'm talking about the movie with the extremely blunt title. What I like about both of our 'names', Smith and Rogen, is that no matter how raunchy they get, no matter how much they cross the line, they have a habit of making their films have real heart. It's the same here, and it looks like everyone involved had fun making the film...in every sense of the word...

What makes the movie work so well is the amazing platonic and romantic chemistry of the two leads, Rogen and Elizabeth Banks (who is quickly becoming one of my favorites). I can't think of two performers who have skyrocketed more in terms of fame over the last three years, and to see them together again after The 40 Year Old Virgin was a good treat. They work so well together that I found myself smiling at them in pretty much every scene they share (or, 80% of the movie), and it makes the experience so much better. They really make you feel comfortable and warm inside (I can hear the sex jokes coming already).

It's not just our wonderful leads that make the movie great, it's performers like Jason Mewes (playing a variant of his usual 'Jay' character), Jeff Anderson, and Craig Robinson that really help, because any scene without Banks & Rogen together has Robinson or Mewes, who form a type of foundation for the great performances of Banks & Rogen. Of course, the film features a few porn stars and a few cameos as well, the best coming from Justin Long and Brandon Routh. I was dying.

Of course, not only do you get heart with Rogen and Smith, but you get surefire jaw dropping jokes that will make you say, "did they really just do that?". One of the jokes I'm speaking of comes at Jeff Anderson's expense. The vulgarity of Rogen's comic style, mixed with Smith's wicked fast writing is the perfect compliment and a great recipe for laughter. Z&M certainly won't deliver as many laughs as films like Superbad or Knocked Up, but that's mostly because the film is more serious, desperate, and shorter (but of course, still very light hearted).

I guess the only thing I didn't like was the lack of resolution with the subplot of the actual porno, but that's just wishful thinking, as the end is more than satisfying (as well as clever and hilarious). People are obviously going to be hesitant about seeing this movie because of the blunt title and risqué plot, which in of itself is hilarious, but these reluctant people need to realize that the sex is outweighed by the love, and the raunch outweighed by the righteousness. Zack & Miri Make A Porno is one of the best romantic comedies of the decade, as well as of the year. It's a fun, sweet, heartfelt raunchfest that will leave you laughing your ass off and having a good time. It's the perfect date movie if the person you're taking is receptive to the idea of seeing a movie like this.

First off, do not watch this with your parent, grandparents or in-laws. You can definitely feel that this is a Kevin Smith feel, and the fact that it has Jason Mewes in it could have been a strong hint also. Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a strange but enjoyable love story, cleverly written by Smith so that you do actually feel the romance behind the porn.

No this movie isn't a major Hollywood blockbuster, and it is definitely not for everyone, if you're a prude give it a miss, but if light hearted and don't mind movies with the full range of body organs then I would recommend watching this!