Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

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.

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer:

Kevin Smith

Stars:

Elizabeth Banks, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Banks	...	Miri
Seth Rogen	...	Zack
Craig Robinson	...	Delaney
Gerry Bednob	...	Mr. Surya
Edward Janda	...	Customer
Nicholas Lombardi	...	Teen #1
Chris Milan	...	Teen #2
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith	...	Betsy (as Jennifer Schwalbach)
Kenny Hotz	...	Zack II
Brandon Routh	...	Bobby Long
Anne Wade	...	Roxanne
Justin Long	...	Brandon
Tom Savini	...	Jenkins
Jeff Anderson	...	Deacon
Jim Norton	...	Auditioner (as Jimmy Norton)

Storyline

Zack and Miri are two lifelong platonic friends who make an adult film to pay the rent of their apartment. With their friend Delaney, the couple set out for auditionees for their porn film, but in the process of filming, they realize they feel more for each other than they had before.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | actor | reunion | coffee | coffee shop | 

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Taglines:

Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks made a movie so titillating we can only show you these drawings.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R on appeal for strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Kevin Smith Minnesota Project

Filming Locations:

Monroeville Mall - Business Route 22, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£798,205 (UK) (14 November 2008)

Gross:

$31,452,765 (USA) (23 January 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blue Askew, Weinstein Company, The, View Askew Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The City Of Toronto has slightly edited version of the original poster at most subway stations. Elizabeth Banks is smiling, and the alternate lowered version of her in front of Seth Rogen shows her forehead, implying she is not performing oral intercourse.

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Goofs

(At 14.30) There is a scene in Zack and Miri's apartment where they're sitting around their trash can fire. Zack complains that they're living "like a couple of STENO bums" instead of "STERNO bums".

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Quotes

Zack: Wow, D.P. and editor. You have your shit covered.
Deacon: Please don't ever say "shit covered" to me again.

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Crazy Credits

An infomercial for "Zack and Miri Make YOUR Porno" interrupts the closing credits.

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Connections

References Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Let Me Clear My Throat (Klassic Cool Original Version)"
Written by DJ Kool (as John Bowman), The 45 King (as Mark James), and Mark Jones
Performed by DJ Kool
Courtesy of American Recordings
Contains a sample of "The 900 Number"
Written by The 45 King (as Mark James)
Performed by The 45 King (as 45 King)
Courtesy of Tuff City Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group
Also contains a sample of "Hollywood Swinging"
Written by Allen Westfield, Claydes Smith, Robert Kool Bell (as Robert Bell),
Robert Spike Mickens (as Robert Mickens), Ronald Bell, Dennis D.T. Thomas (as Dennis Thomas),
, and George Funky Brown (as George Brown)
Performed by Kool & The Gang
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Deceptive. Absolutely sweet while still being dirty as you can get.

I love deceptive marketing campaigns. Usually, they make movies hit-or-misses financially, but deceptive marketing shows a lot of faith in a film, which is what every viewer should have in this one. Have faith in the fact that this film, despite being controversial and borderline wrong in some parts, is one of the funniest and sweetest romantic comedies of the decade. What happens when you mix Kevin Smith's witty and snappy dialog with the outrageous humor of a guy like Seth Rogen? Pure brilliance, that's what.

Z&M is a movie of depth and emotion. Yes, I'm talking about the movie with the extremely blunt title. What I like about both of our 'names', Smith and Rogen, is that no matter how raunchy they get, no matter how much they cross the line, they have a habit of making their films have real heart. It's the same here, and it looks like everyone involved had fun making the film...in every sense of the word...

What makes the movie work so well is the amazing platonic and romantic chemistry of the two leads, Rogen and Elizabeth Banks (who is quickly becoming one of my favorites). I can't think of two performers who have skyrocketed more in terms of fame over the last three years, and to see them together again after The 40 Year Old Virgin was a good treat. They work so well together that I found myself smiling at them in pretty much every scene they share (or, 80% of the movie), and it makes the experience so much better. They really make you feel comfortable and warm inside (I can hear the sex jokes coming already).

It's not just our wonderful leads that make the movie great, it's performers like Jason Mewes (playing a variant of his usual 'Jay' character), Jeff Anderson, and Craig Robinson that really help, because any scene without Banks & Rogen together has Robinson or Mewes, who form a type of foundation for the great performances of Banks & Rogen. Of course, the film features a few porn stars and a few cameos as well, the best coming from Justin Long and Brandon Routh. I was dying.

Of course, not only do you get heart with Rogen and Smith, but you get surefire jaw dropping jokes that will make you say, "did they really just do that?". One of the jokes I'm speaking of comes at Jeff Anderson's expense. The vulgarity of Rogen's comic style, mixed with Smith's wicked fast writing is the perfect compliment and a great recipe for laughter. Z&M certainly won't deliver as many laughs as films like Superbad or Knocked Up, but that's mostly because the film is more serious, desperate, and shorter (but of course, still very light hearted).

I guess the only thing I didn't like was the lack of resolution with the subplot of the actual porno, but that's just wishful thinking, as the end is more than satisfying (as well as clever and hilarious). People are obviously going to be hesitant about seeing this movie because of the blunt title and risqué plot, which in of itself is hilarious, but these reluctant people need to realize that the sex is outweighed by the love, and the raunch outweighed by the righteousness. Zack & Miri Make A Porno is one of the best romantic comedies of the decade, as well as of the year. It's a fun, sweet, heartfelt raunchfest that will leave you laughing your ass off and having a good time. It's the perfect date movie if the person you're taking is receptive to the idea of seeing a movie like this.