Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

When you go to see a Kevin Smith film, two reactions are most common: You’ll either be tickled pink by his ribald comic antics, or you’ll think it’s the most profane waste of celluloid ever. Smith the director usually doesn’t leave much middle ground, as his films are populated with a very specific type of character: smart, sarcastic, and possessing enough expletives to make a sailor run for cover. Zack and Miri Make a Porno, as the title might suggest, it yet another film which most will place in either the “love it” or “hate it” category.

Zack Brown (Seth Rogen) and Miri Linky (Elizabeth Banks) have been platonic friends since childhood. Now that they’re grown, they live together and struggle to make ends meet. After hitting rock bottom financially, and meeting gay porn star Brandon St. Randy (Justin Long) at a high school reunion, the duo are inspired to make a porn film of their own. They reason that everyone they graduated with will buy a copy, and that should be more than enough to pull them out of debt. After gathering together a cast including Lester (Jason Mewes), Stacey (real-life porn star Katie Morgan), and Bubbles (former porn star Traci Lords), their movie is ready to be filmed. But a few hitches await our fledgling porn superstars, including the impending sex scene between Zack and Miri–something which threatens to change the nature of their relationship forever.

For those easily offended by cursing, Zack and Miri should definitely be avoided. I say this because the film seems to cram as many curse words as possible into its 101 minutes. Literally every sentence provides a profane remark, and one almost becomes entranced by how many ways a person can refer to the human anatomy or bodily functions. There’s also a long string a spoof porn titles, such as Lawrence of Her Labia, guaranteed to mortify those without a flexible sense of humor. The merits of vibrators and fleshlights (have fun looking that one up) are also discussed , and poor Jeff Anderson–best remembered for his role as Randall Graves in Smith’s Clerks–takes a load of poo right in the face after a constipated Katie Morgan finishes taking it up the backdoor. Yep, it’s just that kind of movie.

I enjoyed seeing Jason Mewes stretch as an actor, if ever so slightly. Lester is basically a nice guy with a huge penis and a tiny brain, but that still requires more acting ability than his frequent portrayal of stoner Jay from Smith’s earlier movies. That character became tiresome years ago, so any change of pace is a positive one.

Justin Long steals the show in an all-to-brief appearance as gay porn actor Brandon St. Randy. The star of such films as “You’d Better Shut Your Mouth or I’m Gonna F*ck It,” St. Randy is total camp, but it’s the kind of performance which works in the potty-mouthed world created by Smith. If you find yourself equally amused by Long, be sure and watch the DVD extras, as there’s a lot more Brandon St. Randy to be had.

As for the leads, Rogen and Banks have an endearing on-screen chemistry, the kind that Smith often manages to coax from his oddball pairings of hot girl and dorky guy. Banks has an infectious laugh and natural beauty, and Smith’s script makes her actually seem attainable for a guy like Zack. Rogen, as always, delivers his lines with the verve of an experienced comedian, and his Zack is the type of lovable loser you’ll be rooting for from the outset. It’s pure fantasy fulfillment to see this mismatched couple together, but that’s par for course in the world of Kevin Smith.

Speaking of Smith, he’s always had a gift for matching music to scenes in order to achieve maximum emotional impact. That’s true in Zack and Miri, as well, although he risks overdoing it a few times. There were moments when I felt as though I was watching MTV–you know, back when they actually played music videos.

A romantic comedy for a generation of irreverent smartasses, Zack and Miri isn’t afraid to get sentimental, but you can always expect Smith to throw in his own unique twist. One scene which exemplifies this comes as two characters express their true feelings for one another. One of them is using the toilet during this otherwise tender moment, and some full frontal nudity from Jason Mewes is thrown in for good measure. It’s like When Harry Met Sally, except with a lot more penis.