I’m a Kevin Smith fan, so it’s hard to be unbiased when writing a review of a Kevin Smith movie (Hell, I even liked Jersey Girl). Zack and Miri Make a Porno is his latest, and big shocker, I liked it quite a bit. Not sure if I can say I completely loved it, but it’s got a lot of rewatchability and it’s anchored by one of Seth Rogen’s best performances. It also proves that Kevin Smith still knows his way around four letter words. And while Smith has always been about “dick and fart jokes,” Zack and Miri is the first time he really, really turns them into visual gags. In fact, there’s one joke in the movie that will probably make you gag, but judging by the audience’s reaction, it’ll also have you laughing for about 2 minutes. It’s one of the best/worst gross-out gags put on film.

Zack and Miri is a story about two friends who have fallen on hard times. They can’t even pay their bills to keep their electricity and water on. When they return to their 10-year high school reunion, they have trouble facing the fact that 10 years have gone by and they’ve done nothing with their lives. At one point Miri asks Zack, “We’re better than those people, right?” and Zack flatly answers, “No,” adding, “Well, unless one of them is on crack.” It’s actually a refreshing exchange that shows some maturity in Kevin Smith’s writing. Normally his characters are holier-than-thou slackers who still feel the world is in front of them, so they can piss on those around them. Even in Clerks 2, Randall was still treating customers like dirt even though he hadn’t progressed beyond flipping burgers. Here we have people who realize they haven’t reached any potential, and probably won’t achieve those big dreams they may have once had. It’s something that strikes a chord with a lot of late 20-somethings, and it’s brought sharply into focus at the high school reunion.

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During the reunion, Zack meets Brandon, Justin Long’s character, who turns out to be an adult film star with all male casts. Kind of like Glengarry Glenross, but with less clothes. The scene is an instant classic, and Justin Long owns his five minutes of screen time. After the reunion, Zack and Miri realize they need to do something to make cash, and his encounter with Brandon sparks the idea that they should make a porno together, and sell it to their classmates. This seems like a really big step for two friends to take, but I think it’s handled appropriately. They’re desperate, it’s a surefire moneymaker, and and Miri seems game enough to actually go through with it.

The moment they decide to do the porno, the plot too easily falls into place. There are porn auditions, crew recruitment, and of course, script development. It’s all funny but pretty obvious stuff. I mean, when you make a movie tilted Zack and Miri Make A Porno, a lot of these jokes write themselves. There’s a whole section in the middle that proves quite inconsequential to the story, but it’s obvious Kevin Smith had always wanted to write a Star Wars porn parody and couldn’t resist. I think this section of the movie is what prevents it from being something bigger than it is, because a large chunk of setup is literally demolished and Zack and Miri have to come up with a plan B. Again, funny stuff, but distracting from the main focus of Zack and Miri’s relationship.

The movie works best when dealing with the growing tension between Zack and Miri about doing their big scene. She thinks it might change their relationship because guys get weird after sex, and he seems to avoid getting too emotionally involved, for reasons that become obvious later. There are some great scenes between the two of them, culminating in their big sex scene on camera. It ends up being a powerful scene between two friends who become much, much more, and it’s one of the best scene Kevin Smith has directed and edited. This is the high point of the movie, and amidst all the smut, it’s touching without being too schmaltzy.

Following their love scene, things become complicated for the two, and the rest of the movie deals with how they resolve their problems. There’s something that feels a little incomplete about the movie, as we get a pretty abrupt “3 Months Later” moment. The ending is satisfying, if only for Jason Mewes’ ridiculous “Dutch Rudder” speech, which will become as classic as the Justin Long scene and another scene I don’t want to spoil for you. There’s something a little formulaic about the end of the movie that veers more into Jersey Girl territory than Chasing Amy. I think it works, since this movie is definitely lighter fare than Amy, not tackling such heavy issues, but it would have been nice to see Kevin Smith take a chance on the ending.

This is a Kevin Smith movie through and through. Despite the taboo title, it’s still a lot of people standing around spouting impressive strings of dialogue to discuss outrageous topics. But this time they’re surrounded by naked people having sex. There’s a sweetness to the story, carried by Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, that really holds Zack and Miri together amidst the sea of filthy words. Rogen has some of the best reaction shots of his career, and Ellizabeth Banks holds her own with a mix of optimism and vulnerability. Not to mention she’s adorable. It might not be his best and fails to fully deliver on the controversial title, but this is definitely a worthy entry into Kevin Smith’s film canon and has enough laughs to give you your money’s worth.

Oh, and I forgot to mention it takes place near Pittsburgh, so there are plenty of Steelers/Penguins references to appeal to my sports geek weaknesses.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 at 12:42 pm and is filed under Film, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.