Review: Zack & Miri Make a Porno

A Weinstein Company release 2008

Written & Directed by Kevin Smith

Lifelong platonic friends Zack (Seth Rogan) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together.



You would think that crafting a painfully by-the-numbers romance story line would allow plenty of wiggle room for jokes. Not the case with Zack & Miri, which may go on record for being the most predictable romantic comedy disguised as raunch to come out in ages.

Zack and Miri are platonic best friends and are both broke. So when a video of Miri in some questionable attire becomes an internet sensation, of course it's only logical that they film a porno together to collect some quick cash.

Only, that doesn't make sense at all. And what follows is a trajectory of the most predictable kind: they have sex and realize they love each other, things get awkward for a moment, but it all works out.



Now a person could probably figure all that out from the trailer - it's called 'convention' for a reason. But assuming that is the template, what makes a movie standout is how it goes about utilizing that template. In this case, raunchy, disgusting, hilarious jokes.

Only there weren't many. There were lots of slow reaction shots of Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks. Lots of really awkward conversation scenes about whether they were/weren't in love. But very few jokes. The funniest parts of the film came from the performances - namely Craig Robinson & Justin Long - and weren't derived from the scenes or set pieces.

Say what you will about Kevin Smith - self-aggrandizing, talentless, fat - his films characterized my youth. Growing up in Jersey, they spoke to me and many others at a very young age, and showed us that all you needed to make a movie was a simple, clever set up and some good dialogue.

Well, Zack & Miri doesn't have any good dialogue. It's not witty, nor clever, nor does it even make much sense. The performances are mildly amusing, but none of the actors are in top form. I simply can't recommend seeing it.

Revisit: Love Me If You Dare

A Paramount Classics release 2003

Directed by
Yann Samuell

Writing credits
Jacky Cukier
Yann Samuell

As adults, best friends Julien (Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard) continue the odd game they started as children -- a fearless competition to outdo one another with daring and outrageous stunts. While they often act out to relieve one another's pain, their game might be a way to avoid the fact that they are truly meant for one another.



While at times wonderful to look at, Love Me If You Dare suffers from that sort of French cinematic whimsy that starts off sweet but ends in a dizzy spell. The protagonists are two of the most mean-spirited characters I've ever seen, and the events in their life represent nothing grounded in reality or truth. Rather, the film is carried along by this sort of lovesick current, a strand of illogical, emotionally driven beats. The effect makes certain scenes hard to swallow, while others seem fatastic and otherworldly. Not for the cynical or the black-hearted.

Revisit: Breakfast at Tiffany's

A Paramount Pictures release 1961

Directed by
Blake Edwards

Writing credits
Truman Capote (novel)
George Axelrod (screenplay)

A young New York socialite (Audrey Hepburn) becomes interested in a young man (George Peppard) who has moved into her apartment building.



Sure, Mickey Rooney's character is strange and racist, but that ^ is the greatest scene in the history of romantic films. I think it speaks for itself. See this with someone you love, if you haven't already.

Revisit: That Touch of Mink

A Universal Pictures release 1962
Directed by Delbert Mann
Writing credits:
Stanley Shapiro
Nate Monaster

A rich businessman (Cary Grant) and a young woman (Doris Day) are attracted to each other, but he only wants an affair while she wants to save her virginity for marriage.



Cary Grant is in so many movies. In this one, he plays a crusty millionaire whose lofty bribes can't seem to get him access to Doris Day's pants. Director Mann has taken a couple of cues from Tashlin here: a palate of bright solid colors, with strong purple and yellow backgrounds, slapstick-style gags, the use of double entendre. The film also has a uniquely American aesthetic. Cathy's desire for the stability of marriage and her fear of sex are a reflection of rural christian attitudes. It's interesting to see how sex is visualized in this film - they never outright say the word, but use double entendres and visual metaphors (the bed, for example) to represent it. Far different from today's physically oriented depictions. Cary Grant in the 60's is so much funnier than Grant in the 30's - he's got that whole likeable prickness thing going, it's great. Check Father Goose for a better example. As a romantic comedy, it's highly watchable and entertaining.