Release Date: October 31, 2008 Studio: The Weinstein Company MPAA Rating: R Genre: Romantic •
Comedy Director: Kevin Smith Writers: Kevin Smith Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Seth Rogen, Jeff Anderson, Justin Long, Traci Lords, Jason Mewes, Brandon Routh, Tom Savini, Kenny Hotz, Ricky Mabe, Katie Morgan, Gerry Bednob, Craig Robinson Synopsis: Lifelong platonic friends Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) look to solve their respective cashflow 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. The Review: For years now people have been giving Kevin Smith a hard time for his immature style of film making, consensus being he couldn’t make a good film without Jay and Silent Bob. Jersey Girl certainly didn’t help his case by any stretch, and going back in to make Clerks II (though funny as hell) just seemed some sort of like a shame-faced admission to that effect. While I’m not a fan of Jersey Girl, but a huge fan of Smith’s other work, I started to wonder if this might not be true. When the first trailer popped up for Zack and Miri I must have viewed it a dozen times, sure it was funny not seeing any signs of the Kevin Smith signature, or worse yet the signs that this could be another Jersey Girl. After an intense investigation neither possibility was obvious, so I walked into the morning screening and into the unknown.
Now that's not to say that this movie doesn’t have the familiar beats of a Kevin Smith flick, it does but it have something else right off the bat that you’ll find hard to quantify (I know I am). In some of his previous films the plot arc isn't too obvious; he just sort of takes you on the ride and hopes you’ll laugh as much as he does. Zack and Miri Makes A Porno has more in common with Dogma (my favorite Smith work up till now) than with Mallrats or Clerks if that helps you wrap your head around it.
The story of course is pretty straightforward and if you’ve seen the trailer you get the general idea; however what’s shocking is how gently Kevin handles the relationship between Zack and Miri. They aren’t the typical characters who have been holding back the sexual chemistry for years, neither is yearning for the other when the film starts off, but as they come into their own (pun intended) it becomes that sort of love you’d want for yourself…oh my gosh character development in a romantic comedy?!
Watching this movie unfold, what really surprised me was Smith’s use of music; oh sure, he’s always come up with some great soundtracks, but here he really uses it to its fullest. The music helps tell the story rather than just existing as ambiance or background for some onscreen high-jinx. It really helps push the chemistry of the characters into a believable reality instead of suspending belief to allow the hot chick to fall for the lovable fuck up (again).
Now it might seem that at some point recently Kevin Smith visited the set of one of the dozens of Judd Apatow movies now in production, and while there must have decided to take some hostages and make a movie of his own. On the surface I’m sure it’s something people are going to talk about but I think this just boils down to picking the right people for the roles. Apatow has been everywhere the last few years, so it’s hard not to cast someone who’s been in an Apatow movie (look for my role in “Superbad 2: Revenge of The Mclovin” summer 2012). But make no mistake this is not Kevin Smith doing a Judd Apatow movie, this is just Kevin Smith doing some of his best work using some Apatow regulars.
It’s funny to think that Kevin’s most mature film thus far would have Porno in the title but I suppose it’s fitting.
Overall: Long Hard Deep Laughs
Head Over To The Offical Site And Get Your Porn I.D: http://zackandmiri.com/ Rating:
