Zack and Miri make a porno
Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, and Jason Mewes
Run time: 1 hr 41 mins.
Plot Synopsis: 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.
Zack and Miri make a porno is a comedy from the brilliant mind of geek icon Kevin Smith. You may remember him as Silent Bob? He also made some of my all time favorite comedies: Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob strike back. I love his style of humor, very witty at times and certainly dirty. Yes, I enjoy the dirty/foul mouthed humor in my comedies from time to time. I need to balance that with intelligent comedy, like say Analyze This. But nevertheless, I enjoy it. So when I heard Kevin Smith was making a new movie, I was intrigued. And when I heard Seth Rogen was going to be in it, I was all for it! I like Seth Rogen almost as much as I do Kevin Smith (an opinion which is not very popular here!). Unfortunately, I missed Zack and Miri during it’s first theatrical run. But luckily for me, I have “friends” in the business, and I was able to recently catch a late screening of the movie. I was stoked! I’ll make no secret of this, I thought this movie was excellent. The following, is my complete, Spoiler filled but not plot ruining, review of Zack and Miri make a porno.
I, like anyone else, had preconceptions about the film after I found out what the title was. On top of that, I read all about the problems Kevin Smith had with the MPAA about the rating of this movie. He had to fight to get an R rating. So I went in expecting to see the dirtiest, sex filled raunch fest ever. And in a way, I was not disappointed. This movie is not for everyone! I want to make that clear. Here is a good test to take to see if you will enjoy Zack and Miri: Go out and grab a copy of Jay and Silent Bob strike back. Watch it. If you enjoyed that, you will enjoy this. Very similar style of humor. Very sex driven, yet still not an all out sex fest. There were a couple of sex scenes which are a little dirtier than your average “passionate sex” scene in other movies. But only by a little. It didn’t show anything that you wouldn’t see in “passionate sex” scenes. It was just a matter of style and position. Like all of Kevin Smith’s films, there is plenty of heart and charm. The characters are charming, loveable losers. You want to root for them. There is plenty of wit, and the word play is excellent. But there are some things that may turn you off, pun intended. Just like the Jay and Silent Bob movie, there was plenty of toilet humor. But what surprised me about this movie was the underlying love story. It softened the film a bit. Of course, there was plenty of quick one liners and sarcastic humor, which Kevin Smith is so good at. The film was everything you would expect it to be, and some things that would surprise you. If that’s okay with you, read on my friends. If not, scroll to the bottom and call me a pervert. Whatever suits you.
The film follows two room mates and lifelong platonic friends, Zack and Miri. They both have crap jobs, live in a crappy apartment, and drive a crappy car. When they decide to go to their high school reunion, things only get more depressing. Things are rough for the “heroes” of this film. But money problems quickly get worse, as the water, heat and power are shut off. So after some hard drinking, and discussing ways to solve their problem, Zack gets an idea. Soon, they have a money making scheme. Porn. But after they lose all the money they got from their investor and friend Delaney, played by Craig Robinson of “The Office,” they have to find a new way to make the porno that will solve all of their money issues. Zack comes up with a brilliant new filming location and thus, “Swallow my Cock-ucinno” was born.
Cast and Crew of "Swallow my Cock-ucinno"
This movie had several laugh out loud moments. One that even made me laugh so hard I cried. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who passed my aforementioned “test.” There are two key reasons for this, and they are important. So important that if they were not a part of the film, I wouldn’t even consider recommending this to anyone. The first is Craig Robinson. He steals every scene he is in. His character, Zack’s friend and co-worker Delaney, is a riot. He is sarcastic and bitter. Delaney is trapped in a loveless marriage to his first crush, the only woman he’s ever been with. And Smith uses this to drop some of the best jokes in the film. It really is a joy to watch Craig Robinson in this film. I’ve always loved his character on “The Office.” With Zack and Miri, plus a prominent role in Pineapple Express, 2008 may just be the year he breaks out. I would like to see that. He is great.
Secondly, and most importantly, this movie is FULL of fantastic cameos and appearances from some talented comedic actors. Since Zack and Miri is a Kevin Smith movie, fans of his expect to see his friends in this film. It’s something he always does, kind of like Adam Sandler. If you are a friend of Kevin Smith, you can expect to be offered a role in several of his films. I was not disappointed in this regard. Jeff Anderson plays a role in the film, director/camera man Deacon. You may not know his name, but you should know his most famous character. Anderson played Randall Graves in both Clerks films. In Zack and Miri, he is just as hilarious as he was in those movies. He was the punchline in my favorite joke of the film. But it is too disgusting to post here. Anyone who has seen this movie should know what I’m talking about. But that is not all! Jason Mewes (who played Jay in both Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, and the Jay and Silent Bob movie) is featured prominently in this film as the porno’s star stud, Lester. Lester is not that bright, and he is a pervert. Both those features are used well to deliver some great jokes. How about Brandon Routh? Superman himself shows up at Zack and Miri’s high school reunion as the star athlete that Miri always had a crush on. But he has a shocking secret! Tisha Campbell-Martin has a great appearance as Delaney’s wife. Traci Lords plays a very “talented” actress, her first appearance will have you rolling with laughter! Then there is Justin Long, who many of you know as the MAC from the Apple’s “I’m a MAC, and I’m a PC” ads or his roles in Dodgeball and Accepted, is the best cameo of the film! Long appears at Zack and Miri’s high school reunion, and the very brief appearance will stay with you well after he is gone. It is absolutely hilarious, and a must see for all fans of Justin Long. Long fans, if you’re out there but don’t want to watch this movie, don’t worry! He shows up in the beginning of the film.
If you still need more evidence to sway your opinion in one way or the other, I will give you this: IMDB shows this movie has a 7.6 stars out of 10 rating, as determined by its users. Metacritic, another fantastic film review database, lists a user rating of 7.1 out of 10. Despite the negative reviews by so called movie critics, users (the real movie going public) enjoyed the film. Take from that what you will. In the end, I will say that Zack and Miri make a porno is a movie that I will never forget. It was rude, crude, and disgusting. It was equally hilarious and heartwarming. The underlying story of love, the relationship between two lifelong friends, seems out of place in this movie. In a film about amateur porn makers, you would not expect to see that. But it fits, and it fits well. The characters were charming and believable. The ending gives the audience a happy closure. It worked. This movie will probably go down as one of Smith’s less talked about films, but it shouldn’t. It was super funny and super sweet. The heart in this movie is something that you will find in ALL of Kevin Smith’s movies, if you can just look past the low brow humor. That makes this movie endearing, and for me, an instant classic.