Chundles

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
(c) 2008 The Weinstein Company/View Askew Productions
Starring Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson, Traci Lords, Katie Morgan & Ricky Mabe
Written and Directed by Kevin Smith

As I've noted before, I don't get to the movies too often having a 2 year old toddler running around the house. My wife and I are big Kevin Smith fans though, so when he comes out with a movie, we can't wait until it comes out on DVD. Zack and Miri--in which Kevin Smith directs up and coming stoner star Seth Rogen--didn't disappoint. It had all the elements of a classic Kevin Smith film: perverted humor, flawed yet endearing characters, inside jokes, and sharp, witty writing, coupled with a nice story about love and friendship that wasn't sappy at all. Don't let the title of this film, nor the MPAA's attempts to give it an NC-17 rating scare you--this movie is not about pornography. It's about friendship, love, and the comic tragedy that we all call life.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno tells the story of two lifelong friends--Zack and Miri--who find themselves down on their luck in the middle of a Pittsburgh, PA winter. Even though they're broke, you don't get the sense that Zack and Miri are losers. They're just underachievers who haven't found their groove yet. When the electricity and water both get shut off because they are too far behind on their bills, Zack gets the bright idea to make a porno film to make some money. Miri resists at first, but as the two are sitting in their living room (in the dark) warming themselves by an oil drum fire, Miri relents and decides to go through with it.

The story unfolds as the two recruit a motley cast for their film, including porn stars Katie Morgan and Traci Lords, Jason Mewes (who eerily looked like Neal Patrick Harris in the movie), Ricky Mabe, Jeff Anderson (from Clerks), and the guy who stole the show--Craig Robinson (from The Office). As movie production commences, the unspoken tension between Zack and Miri heats up. The two have been friends and roomates forever, but have never consummated their relationship. Naturally, when their scene in the movie finally arrives, it is glorious for both of them. They didn't have sex, they made love, and neither was prepared for what that meant.

Zack and Miri's relationship changes after they shoot their scene together, but the movie has a "happily ever after" ending for everyone involved. Because the characters are so endearing, it doesn't seem sappy at all. It's quite cute, actually. OK, maybe that is sappy, but whatever. It's Kevin Smith sappy, and I loved it.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)