As a couple of friends who must resort to smut in order to pay the electric bill, Zack and Miri don’t just make a porno; they hit the bull’s-eye of the present economic zeitgeist.
Their aim isn’t quite as true, though, when it comes to meeting the expectations of a very provocative movie title. Director-writer Kevin Smith’s “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” is an intermittently funny, almost never sexy, raunch comedy that has its moments. And by that I mean: It offers a couple of, um, very “creative” moments that push the envelope of politically incorrect explicitness and gross-out gagsterism. (The most memorable of which can’t be described in a family newspaper.)
The filmmaker broke new ground in this arena with his earlier, smarter indie films “Clerks” (1994) and “Chasing Amy” (1997). But here he rams in sexism, scatology, racism, homophobia and gratuitous (often male) nudity without always eliciting the gut-busting hilarity it takes to fully justify the offensiveness.
Even though Smith actually pioneered this subgenre, today’s commercially minded version seems more like another production by Judd Apatow. He’s the current maestro of dirty farces with heart about stunted young-adult men that are made primarily for an audience of stunted young-adult men. “Zack and Miri” features at least three veterans of Apatow’s “40-Year-Old Virgin” and/or “Knocked Up.” The protagonist Zack is played by Seth Rogan, Apatow’s most identifiable muse.
Rogan’s slacker Zack and the perky Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been platonic best friends and roommates since high school. As aimless twentysomethings who’ve just lost their electricity and hot water, they need cash fast. After a chance meeting with some purveyors of gay porn — played by the most recent Superman, Brandon Routh, and Apple commercial dude Justin Long — they decide to warp the tradition of the old Andy Hardy movies and put on a very different kind of show.
But can these two old pals finally do the nasty together and with other semi-professionals in front of a camera without facing their true feelings for each other? Not a chance.
In the supporting cast, real-life porn stars Traci Lords and Katie Morgan appear alongside Jason Mewes (who has recurrently played Jay opposite Kevin Smith’s Silent Bob) and hilarious Apatow regular Craig Robinson. The performances don’t matter much, though.
“Zack and Miri Make a Porno” is all about being a tricky treat at the box office for its producers this Halloween.
Quick Info
“Zack and Miri Make a Porno”
3 out of 5 Stars
Stars: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Traci Lords
Director: Kevin Smith
Rated R for strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language.
Running Time: 101 minutes
