The Movie Blog

Zack And Miri Make A Porno Review

By John - October 31, 2008 - 12:35 America/Montreal

Thanks for checking out our Zack And Miri Make A Porno review.

Kevin Smith is one of the most interesting figures in the movie business and he presents an odd problem for me. On the one hand, I’m not a HUGE fan of his as a filmmaker. Many of his movies are just “ok” to me, and a couple I find just horrible. Then again I love “Chasing Amy” and I have “Clerks 2″ on my top 10 all time best comedies list. On the other hand, I think he is single handedly the coolest guy in the business. I may not be a “huge” fan of him as a filmmaker, but I am a huge fan of his as a personality. His “Evening with Kevin Smith” videos are some of the most entertaining hours I’ve spent in front of my TV the last couple of years. Seriously, check them out if you haven’t seen them yet.

Coming off Clerks 2, I was very excited to see Smith’s next offering, and with a title like Zack and Miri Make A Porno my anticipation went through the roof. However, I was a little taken aback when I heard Seth Rogen was given the lead role, since I much prefer Rogen in supporting roles (where I think he really excels) and have never found him really capable of carrying a movie. So when doing a Zack and Miri Make A Porno review I try to get all those pre-existing notions out of my head. So what did I think of Zack and Miri Make A Porno? Hell… I REALLY liked it.

THE GENERAL IDEA

The synopsis for Zack and Miri Make A Porno looks something like this: “Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.” Personal side note: “Of coarse they do”.

THE GOOD

Dear heavens this is a funny film. No, not Kevin Smith’s best or funniest work, but quite funny nonetheless. The strength of the comedy lies (as it usually does in SMith films) in the quick, sharp and well timed dialog. Yes, much of the humor in Zack and Miri Make A Porno is “low brow” comedy, but that doesn’t stop it from being quite effective in getting a response from the audience. Not as smart as the comedy in Clerks 2, but the laughs were there, and that’s the most important thing for a comedy film to nail. I wasn’t rolling in the aisles or anything like that, but I spent a good percentage of the time giggling or smiling throughout.

I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record player, but Elizabeth Banks should be a MAJOR star by now. The woman is an extremely talented actress. She goes from a movie like “W” playing Mrs. Bush to a movie like Zack and Miri… and she was WONDERFUL in it. As a matter of fact, it was almost jarring seeing someone who can really act in a Kevin Smith movie. As much as I LOVE Clerks 2, let’s be honest, the Clerks crew are not exactly world class thespians.

It was nice having old View Askiew favorites Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson in the film. Anderson is my favorite character in both Clerks films and this was the first time I’ve ever seen him on screen not as Randal. Mewes was Mewes, but still extremely funny in the limited stuff he was called on to do. It was a little disturbing that he was naked more than clothed in the film… but it all went towards the comedy

The once scene that Brandon Routh (Superman) and Justin Long (I’m a Mac) participate in was one of the absolute highlights of the movie for me and just about everyone in the theater was howling at their stuff. I get tired of gay jokes, and when doing gay jokes you have to be very careful (because we live in such a PC world) not to offend anyone… and they really did that well.

THE BAD

I’m really sorry to say this, but once again Seth Rogen, who I really enjoy on screen in almost all other circumstances, just can’t carry a movie as its lead. It’s almost like the very thing that makes him such a fantastic supporting comedy character (40 Year Old Virgin, Super Bad) is what makes him ineffective as a lead. His style is best served in hard hitting quick shots where they maintain their full effectiveness rather than on the screen too often where his style of delivery becomes predictable and less effective. Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT saying Rogen was bad in this film… just that another performer may have made the role more effective.

The relationship and romance between Zack and Miri was never something I believed on screen. It felt so contrived and forced that early in the film I just had to turn off my brain to the whole scenario and just accept what Smith was serving with it. Once you do that, it flows fine, but only after that. You just never feel any tension between the two. No connection. No romance. Nothing. Oh Banks ACTED like a woman who had deep undiscovered feelings for this man (Rogen), but there was just no chemistry between the two.

Story. There is none. The title and the synopsis tell you everything you need to know.

OVERALL

Zack and Miri Make A Porno ends up being a thin film with enough laughs to make up for its shortcomings… which is pretty much what you probably expected going in to see it. Good laughs, a solid performance by Banks and some familiar faces made watching this flick fun, despite the weaknesses. Overall I give Zack and Miri Make A Porno a 7.5 out of 10.