Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) - 7/10

Kevin Smith has always struck me as an interesting guy. From both his films and various tours, I can tell that he is very well spoken and intelligent person. I can also tell that he loves low brow poop, weed and dick jokes... like a lot. And I guess the center of that weird Venn diagram is someone who makes movies that are both very smart and very dumb at the same time. Almost like if Paul Thomas Anderson and the Farrelly Brother tried to collaborate. 

For its part, Zack and Miri represents that odd dichotomy very well. It is a raunch comedy full of juvenile sex jokes at every turn; but it is also an incredibly warm and tender love story. So who the hell are you Mr. Smith!? Are you a dummy or a smarty? Let's jump into the rubric and see what's what.  

1. Acting 

This film features a lot of great actors both in regards to their comedic performances, but also in terms of bringing a bit of emotional depth to the table. Leading this charge is primarily the two leads played by Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. For his part, Rogen is playing a fairly familiar role for himself, but he does so with a deft hand. Zack is unambitious, funny, a bit angry, and has just the right touch of charm. Point being, if you like this performance, feel free to check out Knocked Up, Funny People or Freaks and Geeks for more of the same. For Banks, this performance almost gets lost in the noise for her. 2008 was finally the time that people started casting her more and more and its easy to see why. She has great comedic timing, great physicality, and can easily flip the switch when needed to get emotional. And while she really helps sell the depth of the film, it is really the relationship of Banks and Rogen that elevate this movie from mediocrity. Not only do I care about their platonic friendship as it stands early in the runtime, but their progression into relinquishing themselves to their unspoken love by the end is great. 

As for the rest of the cast, there is some fantastic moments from the ensemble.  Craig Robinson, for instance, is doing a lot with a little. He mostly gets relegated down to the 'supportive friend' role, but his line deliveries take a lot of dumb jokes and comments about titties to a higher level than they deserve. Justin Long, in a mostly cameo type appearance, becomes an absolute scene stealer with an off beat take on a gay character that is both progressive and offensive at the same time. Jason Mewes also make a run at being the scene stealer in the movie and it was nice seeing him in a non-Jay role that shows off some different approaches to his comedy. And none of this is really to ignore the other great contributions from Traci Lords, Jeff Anderson or Katie Morgan.  

2. Cinematography 

David Klein, frequent Kevin Smith collaborator, is back to make another film with his long time friend. And while this may not be the fanciest movie to shoot, I actually think there are a lot of clever things happening. For instance, there is a clear meta level to everything happening in the film since the plot revolves around making a movie. As such, they had to figure out a way to film some of the scenes as if they were actually making a 'bad' movie. The lighting, the angles, the sound - all of that had to read on some level as completely amateurish. This even gets juxtaposed during a particularly intimate scene later in the film where the audience is seeing the 'porno' quality filming, and then cuts to the 'modern movie' look to show Zack and Miri up close in a tender moment. Touches like these are not only smart, but they feel like intentional nods to the filmmakers themselves - as if they get to relive the utter chaos of making a film like Clerks when they were getting started. 

3. Production/Costume Design 

Similar to the cinematography, I feel like the production teams got to have some fun playing around with the meta-ness of creating low budget aesthetics and props for a mid budget movie. In particular, while the circumstances of the plot ruin the original plan for the porno, they did have to create a giant amount of Star Wars themed porn props, costumes and sets. Most of it only get used for a singular montage in the 2nd act, but it nonetheless is a pretty funny undertaking that is executed well. 

Outside of the porno related scenes, everything feels authentic and fitting for the story, though its ambitions are mostly simple for a lot of the film.  

4. Writing 

Despite the whole 'movie about making a porno' thing, I think this movie may be Smith's most 'commercial' films in terms of his writing. It's a broad comedy in the vein of American Pie that is trying to trick you in with it 'sleeze' while really possessing a deep sense of earnestness and love at its core. So while this film has a lot of low brow sex humor in it (like a lot), it is also a story of love and friendship. For the titular characters, it is an exploration of repressed interpersonal feelings and deep care. For the ensemble, it is an exploration of having a shared goal and finding a second family a long the way. It may be a dumb comparison, but it reminds me of the newer wave of modern sitcoms where everyone is just supporting each other and being nice, which is a rejection of older comedies where everyone is just mean to each other for laughs.  

In a similar respect, the film also has another hidden layer in that it is a meta-story about people making films and how that process brings them all together to form lasting friendships. Zack's love for film making and his growing as a person while directing the movie, is most certainly partially autobiographical for Smith - as is some of the unexpected but deep friendships he has highlighted with frequent collaborations over the years. 

However, while this is a more polished script than some of Smith's other films, it is not without flaws. Probably the most glaring for me was Miri. Despite Banks' terrific performance, I can't help but wonder what Miri's journey is supposed to be. For Zack it is quite clear - he is stuck in dead end barista job with no obvious ambitions to change it. As the plot unfolds, Zack starts to step up and finds within himself a talent and drive that wasn't there before. At the same time, he is also progressing in his emotions with Miri. As he begins to mature professionally, he also begin to mature emotionally and even gets to the point of pretty plainly expressing his love for Miri. 

Miri, on the other hand, mostly just follows around with Zack on his journey. She is encouraging and supportive, but is mostly just serving Zack's vision. In seeing Zack start to change, Miri now seems to take her romantic interests in him more seriously, but undermines it when she starts to get jealous. Now in the end it all works out and they live happily ever after, but it feels mostly like it's Zack's ending alone. He got to go on a journey, was challenged, changed for the better and then got both the girl and the career at the end. Miri was just there, almost like she was a prize to be won. 

The other writing piece that I made note of brings us back to the beginning of this post. Smith is a weirdly dichotic figure. As soon as I start thinking something he is writing feels ahead of its time, something else comes along and undermines it. For instance, this movie feels like a fairly sex positive movie for when it was released. Porn wasn't the big bad evil it once was, but America was still pretty puritanical when it came to letting it anywhere near the mainstream. So for this to basically center a whole movie around making a porno feels fairly progressive. But, then we turn around and basically have prolonged scenes of Craig Robinson objectifying women over and over again while bad mouthing his wife and her appearance, which feels gross. 

Additionally, the thought of having non-heteronormative things featured such as a couple that are gay-porn stars, or a scene that features a dude getting pegged by a woman, feels ahead of its time. But then they turn around and make a bunch of weird comments about gay people or just toss out the word f****t nonchalantly in a joke. It feels a bit whiplash-y. 

5. Sound Design 

 I really like the soundtrack for this film. It's a small and quaint collection of late 80s and 90s era songs that crosses a few different genres. Nothing here is particularly standing out individually, rather the overall tone fits quite well within the narrative and scenes. 

6. Editing 

The film clocks in at about 102 minutes which feel appropriate for the story we are getting. Things are kept moving with really only the Star Wars themed section being superfluous - and they needed to keep that in anyway even if it doesn't really advance the plot much.   

7. Visual Effects 

I don't recall any particular VFX. The closest was Smith getting to cover his long time friend Jeff Anderson in fake shit. 

8. Originality or Strength of Adaptation 

I can't really think of any other rom-coms where they fall in love while making a porno, so certainly some points for originality. As for the rom-com aspects, it plays as a pretty familiar story of friends who can't see that they're actually in love. 

9. Stunt Coordination 

Nothing really to note here.  

10. Direction 

I've talked a lot about Smith already. For here I will just reiterate that this seems like a more polished feature from the director and has a more mainstream appeal than some of his other films.  

Legacy/Final Thoughts

I wasn't expecting this to be the first Kevin Smith movie to come up from the randomizer, but it is a worthy one. This film came out at a point in Smith's career where he had been around Hollywood awhile and has a higher level of experience and polish, yet he still manages to have an edge of the indie and anti-establishment sensibilities that garnered him early notoriety. Nevertheless, Zack and Miri is probably somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of his filmography. It isn't quite as original or inventive as Mallrats or Chasing Amy, and it isn't packed full of niche references like Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back (to the chagrin of his more diehard fans). So what is left is a underrated and overlooked comedy that general audiences failed to cling to over time. I think it is one of his stronger films, but it will never have the same association with Smith's notoriety that movies like Clerks or Chasing Amy has.