Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Smith (written by)

Release Date:

31 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

What would you do to get out of debt?

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Coffee Shop | Rent | Gay Couple | Gay | Flirting

Cast

Elizabeth Banks	...	Miri
Seth Rogen	...	Zack
Craig Robinson	...	Delaney
Gerry Bednob	...	Mr. Surya
Jason Mewes	...	Lester
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

Also Known As:

Zack and Miri (USA) (promotional title) (USA) (DVD box title)
Untitled Kevin Smith Minnesota Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (No. 44622) (re-rating on appeal) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Ireland:18 | Finland:K-15 | UK:18 | Australia:R | Singapore:R21 | Denmark:11 | Norway:15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Sweden:11 | New Zealand:R18 | Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | Mexico:B15 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Blue Askew

Trivia:

In this movie, Bobby Long is played by someone named Brandon (Brandon Routh) and Brandon is played by someone named Long (Justin Long).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the beginning, when Zack and Miri are driving to the mall, Miri pulls over by Ralph's Army Surplus. If driving this direction, you would be driving away from the mall.

Quotes:

Miriam Linky: So... I guess we should do this.
Zack Brown: I think we should probably wait, uh, just until I lose another 20-30 pounds.
Miriam Linky: Stop it. You look good.
Zack Brown: Thanks.
Miriam Linky: So... what about me? How do I look?
Zack Brown: I mean, you look beautiful - you always look... so beautiful, so I guess it's not a big deal. But you... you look amazing.
Miriam Linky: [grabbing his hand lovingly, then quickly beginning to swing it back and forth] Okay! Let's go make a porno!

Movie Connections:

References Amistad (1997)

Soundtrack:

Let Me Clear My Throat (Klassic Cool Original Version)

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.