ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO
2008
Written by Kevin Smith
Directed by Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith is mainstreaming. This isn't a bad thing; in fact, it's rife with potential, and, frankly, mainstream success is something that Smith deserves more than a little. He's instantly recognizable to a large chunk of the film fan community, whether they love him or hate him (there doesn't seem to be too much middle ground), and though your casual moviegoer might know him from his occasional appearances on The Tonight Show, they're more likely to recognize the talent he's influenced in today's comedy field.
Because without a Kevin Smith, there probably wouldn't be a Judd Apatow, or at least not the Apatow we've come to know and love since The 40 Year Old Virgin. Smith helped to pioneer the vulgar-yet-sweet kind of comedy we're seeing a lot more of these days, starting in 1994 with the beloved Clerks., which spawned an entire fictional world Smith coined the Askewniverse, often featuring the same characters and actors in roles of varying sizes. Smith intended to close the book on the Askewniverse with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back in 2001, but after his 2004 Ben Affleck vehicle Jersey Girl was met with a disastrous reception, he went back to the well and crafted Clerks II, which was a much stronger farewell than Jay and Bob. And now that Smith seems done with that world--for the time being, at least--he's branching out and trying new things, with Zack and Miri Make a Porno being the first step.
And how exactly is this mainstreaming? Because, in a fitting parallel, Smith was influenced by The 40 Year Old Virgin. Smith fell in love with Seth Rogen, who had an hilarious supporting role in Virgin, and wrote the part of Zack with him in mind. Smith intended to be the one to launch Rogen on the path to stardom, only upon finishing the script to see numerous Knocked Up posters with Rogen's mug plastered all over them. But, as the story goes, when Rogen first came out to L.A., he told his agent that his dream was to star in a Kevin Smith movie. That dream has come true, and while the results aren't perhaps as wonderful as one would hope, it's very much a good thing.
Rogen does indeed play one half of the titular duo, Zack. Zack lives with Miri (Elizabeth Banks), but wait, don't get the wrong idea: They're just friends. They've known each other since the first grade and are the best of pals. At their tenth anniversary high school reunion, Miri attempts to hit on her old crush (Brandon Routh), only to find out that he's gay and dating porn star Brandon (Justin Long), who stars in all-male productions, if you get what I'm saying. Rejected and dejected, Miri goes back home with Zack...only to find out that they really haven't paid the bills, and out goes the power. While they're drinking away their sorrows at the local bar, Zack, inspired by Brandon's independent porn business, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme: Zack and Miri should make a porno.
After some prodding, Zack gets Miri to go along with the idea, and they go about shooting what has to be the world's most amateur porn feature in a way quite similar to how Smith himself made Clerks. They set up shop in the Starbucks-esque coffee shop where Zack works, shoot on a budget of almost nothing, use a hockey stick for a boom mic, and get friends and untested actors involved. Now that Smith is done drawing on his past characters, he's drawing on his past filmmaking experiences to come up with a slightly meta celebration of the independent ethos. Which is that even when things go wrong, there's a spirit and a togetherness on set that keeps the cast and crew going.
The same can be said for Zack and Miri Make a Porno itself. The beginning of the film is hilarious, but curiously, right after Zack suggests the making of the porno, things begin to lag. The montage of Zack and Miri putting the band together is funny, but is more amused with itself than the audience is. Where there should've been belly laughs, we must instead be content with good-natured guffaws. Yet there is a lovably infectious energy amongst everyone involved, especially Rogen and Banks, who shine throughout but never more so than when the movie's central conflict arises: As we know, Zack and Miri are best friends. They must have sex together onset. Will they go through with it? If they do, what kind of ramifications will there be? Sadly, it's a little more pat and predictable than I would've expected from Smith, but the film gets one hell of a charge from Rogen and Banks' chemistry, resulting in some of the most emotionally powerful scenes Smith has written since the Joey Lauren Adams/Ben Affleck stuff in Chasing Amy.
Smith knows this is all good material, and despite the drag in the second act and the hurried resolution, he hits many right notes. The porno crew is a hoot, ranging from Smith stalwarts Jeff Anderson (as the put-upon cameraman) and Jason Mewes (a charmingly boneheaded porn actor) to other members of the Apatow gang such as Craig Robinson (the producer, trapped in a nightmarish marriage), with real life porn stars Katie Morgan and Traci Lords thrown in for good measure. Perhaps most welcome of all, though, is that Smith, who takes an unnecessary amount of shit for his rough-around-the-edges visual styling, has created by far his best-looking picture with his most high-profile cast. After fourteen years, Smith has, to use his own words, made something that resembles a "real movie." And though it might not touch some of his best efforts, it's a real funny one, too.
- Arlo J. Wiley
November 1, 2008
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