Zack & Miri Make A Porno

Review by Sean Lynch

A fellow reviewer suggested the other day that Kevin Smith movies pretty much seem like the paunchy director's real life - just with better dialogue.

After all, it is the number one rule a good writer should follow : write what you know.

Perhaps that is why Kevin Smith has been able to carve out a decade long career entirely consisting of movies that relate to the geeks, for no other reason other than he is simply retelling life the way he has seen it.

So having milked his pre-Hollywood life and exploiting all of his experiences as an everyday schlub (with the likes of Clerks, Clerks II, Mallrats and Chasing Amy) it was really only a matter of time before Smith addressed his life as a film maker.

So the fact that his latest, Zack & Miri Make A Porno, follows a dead beat slacker (who looks identical to Smith himself) who maxes out his credit cards and rent money in order to make a low budget flick at his workplace after hours... well let's just say that the irony won't be lost on Kevin Smith fans.

Yep, this is about as close to a Kevin Smith biography movie you will ever get - though there is a hell of a lot more porn, and not a single hammy Oscar winning Jamie Foxx performance in sight.

Zack & Miri Make A Porno is pretty self explanatory, but that doesn't make it any less fun.

It follows lifelong friends and roommates Zack (Seth Rogen, who really does look identical to Kevin Smith for the most part) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) who are facing hard times and a mountain of debt.

Upon attending their 10 Year High School reunion and meeting a big time LA Gay porn star (played by the scene stealing Justin Long), the pairs electricity and plumbing get cut off.

With few other options they seize upon the idea of making a homegrown porno movie for some quick cash... with the help of a few friends.

In true rom-com form, the two vow that having sex will not ruin their friendship - but as filming begins, what started out as a business proposition between friends turns into something much more.

As downright filthy as Zack & Miri is (think the "Porn Video Title" sequence in Clerks times ten, plus visual images instead of just words), this is somehow the most accessible and broad comedy that Smith has ever made.

It delivers consistent laughs throughout, and had near everyone - almost abnormally - howling in the aisles with the giggles.

Yet, as a Kevin Smith nerd from way back (and I'm talking BIG TIME obsessed during my High School years, he was the John Hughes of my generation) something didn't quite click.

Yeah, it's got a heap of laughs, it's got some genuinely classic lines and moments - and if it were a film by anyone else - I would be hailing this as one of the year's best.

But as a Kevin Smith film, and I know this will sound crazy, but the dick jokes just didn't seem clever enough...

But that's just one Fanboy's opinion.

The real strength here is the cast Smith has assembled. It's his most impressive and well rounded since Dogma.

Hollywood's hot comeic property, Seth Rogen, is perfect has the laid back smart arse. He IS Smith, and he is never too shy to take the piss out of his own rotund appearance.

Elizabeth Banks is also superb (the role was originally written for Rosario Dawson), and aside from Justin Long, is probably the film's shining light. 

Banks is feisty, vulnerable and outwardly sexy. Her scenes with her former High School crush Bobby Long (played by Superman Return's Brandon Routh... who is even slightly surprised that Smith cast the comic-book hero in his film?) are a tour de force of comedic acting.

The inclusion of Jeff Anderson (best know as Randall from Clerks), as what can best be described as an ode to Smith's producing partner Scott Mosier, and Jason Mewes (whose performance is... butt busting) are also welcome assets to the film that works for both View Askew fans and a general audience.

While this is one of the first Smith comedies not set in his native New Jersey (this one is set in Pennsylvania) he hasn't really strayed to far from home.

There is still plenty of hockey, there is still plenty of Star Wars references (I can't wait for "Revenge of the Shits : The All Anal Ending" to hit video shelves) and the music selected really encapsulates the feeling of the mid-to-late 90s era (the inclusion of a song from local Pennsylvanian band, Live, was a charmed piece of musical direction).

While the clever potty mouth has been toned down in favour of a few more swears, this is a welcome return to form for Kevin Smith.

Blending utter filth with a genuine sense of sweetness and romance, Zack & Miri Make A Porno is a true crowd pleaser in every sense of the phrase.

On a side note - there may be a few people who may notice the liberal use of the phrase "Cumnugget" throughout the new movie.

I'm not one to claim responsibility - but it might wise to perhaps revisit an interview we did with Smith back in 2006 (just before he started writing this film) and see where the idea for the new word may have popped into his head... KEVIN SMITH INTERVIEW

DVD EXTRAS & SPECIAL FEATURES

If there is one thing that Kevin Smith does well - it's respect his fanbase. He is one of the few directors around who really makes a concious effort to explore the opportunities that DVD and Blu Ray Special Features offer.

So grabbing the Special Edition copy of Zack & Miri would be very much in any Smith fan's best interest... cause this puppy is loaded!

Among the extras are 35 Deleted Scenes, a whole bunch of featurettes,  "Money Shots: Webisodes", a cool look behind the Comic Con Panel, some decent Outtakes, Bloopers & Ad-Libs... plus the must see "Seth v Justin: The Battle for Improvisational Supremacy".

A great package, a superb movie. Well worth a spot on the DVD shelf.

Conclusion: Movie 85% Extras: 85%