Andrew McMurtryREVIEW: Zack and Miri Make A Porno (2009)
Finally, a movie that tells you exactly what it’s about. No fart arsing about with confusing abstract names to movies. This tells you exactly what is going to happen. Zach (Seth Rogen) and Miriam (Elizabeth Banks) make a porno to get themselves out of their financial problems. It could not be easier. While you might see the name and expect smut, it is actually about two life long friends realising they have more than just platonic feelings for each other. It’s also mixed with some smut, but overall, it is a sweet,
The premise of the movie is, as said above, Zach and Miri are two life long friend and room mates. When they are having trouble paying their bills, their power and water is turned off. While only just keeping the roof over their heads, thanks to Zach’s crappy job in a Starbucks-like coffee shop, where he works with Delaney (Craig Robinson), they have to go to their 10 year high school reunion. It is there they meet Bobby Long (Brendan Routh), the stud from their high school days that Miri wants, and Bandon St. Randy (Justin Long), his gay porn star lover. After this meeting, the idea grows in Zach’s mind. They decide to make a porn flick, but have to hire a cast. With Delaney as producer, they hire Lester (Jason Mewes), Stacey (Katie Morgan) and Bubbles (Traci Lords) to act, as well as Deacon (Jeff Anderson) to direct. With their plan in tact, everything that can go wrong goes wrong until they end up in the coffee shop to shoot the film. From then on it is really just shooting the porno and the typical formulaic rom-com it becomes as Zach and Miri fall for each other.
Unsurprisingly, as it combines both Kevin Smith and Seth Rogen’s talent, there is a lot of swearing, childish rude jokes and some general smut. It’s kind of what you expect from their films. It isn’t really a surprising movie. It is similar to the sentiments that Kevin Smith has used in other films he has directed. It isn’t as silly as a movie like “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”, but only because it attempts to fall too far into the love story side of it. Sure, when they realise they’ve loved each other, they were having sex on camera. But it then develops into a miscommunication and their relationship falls apart. Although, as per most rom-com’s, it has to end happily, if not kind of strangely with talk of a “Dutch Rudder”, which is explained in the movie.
This film is good. Not great, but good. Kevin Smith has directed this film well. Some of his camera movements are beautiful and sweeping through his sets. The use of Justin Long for a little cameo early on is fantastically hilarious. There have been better comedies that Seth Rogen has been involved in but his choice to do films with childish, lewd types of humour is what makes him him. I can’t imagine it any other way. It won’t be a pivotal movie in the genre like “40 Year Old Virgin” but it is a decent effort. I’d give it 3 out of 5. There was something about this movie that is a little bit unimpressive. I don’t know if it was just me or my standard are getting too high but I wasn;t completely impressed by the film. When you see this movie though, stick around through the credits. There is a really funny ending section that is well worth seeing.
