Written by Linda
November 29, 2008
If you title your movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno, you are bound to get people's attention. If you put mainstream stars in it, like Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, well, you are sure to raise eyebrows. And if you throw in a whole bunch of potty-mouthed humor, naked folks, and a super-gross exploding poo shot, then suddenly you find yourself with a sex-comedy just barely this side of an NC-17 rating.
But with all the fuss and the worry that (gasp!) there's a movie with the word "porno" in it that teens will most definitely want to see, it turns out Kevin Smith's porno is indeed smutty on the outside, but has a soft and chewy (and a bit sticky sweet) center.
In these tough economic times, the next presidential administration may have to be concerned that good Americans down on their luck will turn to homemade porn to make some money. I mean, the idea (if you are, er, "up" for it) is not really that outlandish, if you think about it. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, people will buy just about anything on the internet, and, heck, it's PORN! It's so crazy it just might work! Or so concludes Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks), two lifelong platonic best friends.
Zack and Miri find themselves at their 10-year high school reunion ready to mock and cut-down their former classmates for the loser lives that they now lead. But the truth is, they themselves have had the power shut off in the flat that they share, and their own bills just aren't getting paid. When they chat with a former classmate, the high-school-crush-turned-gay-porn-star (played with as much dignity as possible by Superman Returns' Brandon Routh), they get a bright idea. Big bucks are to be made in the porn industry, and heck, these days all you need is a digital video camera, and you, too, can be a film star!
The problem is, Zack and Miri are friends only. They've never been romantically involved ("Ew!" they both claim), but they are both willing to literally "do it" to earn some cash. After recruiting some friends and associates with some skills that could come in handy (both in film and sex), they are ready to get at it. But are they? Will this ruin their friendship? Can sex between friends who care for each other really be just sex? Can we mull over this question a LOT in the last, overly drawn-out third of the film?
The truth is, Zack and Miri does pack in a lot of laughs. I admit, Smith's typical rapid-fire foul-mouthed screenplay can get a bit wearing, but the characters' hearts are always in the right place. No one in the film is mean, cruel or manipulative. Refreshingly, the movie doesn't judge porn or sex in general, and fully exploits that bad porn can be hilarious. These folks are just out to have a good time and earn some cold, hard cash back on their investment. It's the American Dream, really!
But the film gets bogged down when Smith decides to get all wistfully romantic on us. The movie goes on about a third too long when our characters have to deal with the, you know, emotional ramifications of their project. The angst goes on and on as Smith gets even sappier than he did in Chasing Amy, a movie that I actually like quite a lot. The rambling direction is not Rogen or Banks fault. They are a funny, cute, and odd couple, and they both look like they are having fun (and having angst). But Kevin Smith sometimes just doesn't know when to reel it in, and when to tighten it up. Sometimes a movie doesn't need both a poo-explosion and a weepy emotional climax.
