‘Zack and Miri’ A Vulgar Display of Romance Since “Clerks” was released almost 15 years ago, director Kevin Smith has relied on basically the same recipe for most of his films: wrap simple love stories in thick blankets of shockingly obscene but often hilarious dialogue, brown and serve.
Smith’s new film, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” not only sticks with the formula, it raises his trademark vulgarity to new heights. In his previous films, Smith’s characters had been content to talk big games, but any actions that talk would imply was left largely off-camera.
As the title implies, that is not the case here. If you’ve been waiting to see a Smith flick with full-frontal nudity, your day has finally come. Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) are childhood friends-turned-roommates who can’t seem to keep all their utilities on at the same time.
After running into a ex-classmate at their ten-year high school reunion who has made a career for himself in gay porn, Zack and Miri are inspired to solve their financial crisis by shooting a porno of their own.
The two roommates recruit a cast and crew (featuring most notably Smith cohort Jason Mewes and ex-porn star Traci Lords) and, after some setbacks, get down to business.
The laughs in “Zack and Miri” are consistent and uproarious. There is one bit of gross-out humor that, honestly, I don’t know why Smith bothered to follow with dialogue, as no one could hear what the characters were saying over the sounds of everyone in the theater doubled over in laughter.
But it’s not all just fun and fornication. Beneath all the commotion and bodily fluids is the real story: Zack and Miri are secretly ga-ga for each other. That’s it. That’s the whole movie.
There’s several attempts at forced poignancy in the second half of the film that the movie (and audience) doesn’t seem to really want, which is made worse by the eye-rollingly corny ideas they reveal.
The biggest problem here is that Kevin Smith doesn’t seem to trust his audience. Every plot point is made blatantly obvious, and even the jokes that are designed to surprise and shock are telegraphed by lines of dialogue that let us know to brace for impact. But what Smith lacks in story he more than makes up in casting.
Simply put, Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks save this movie. Rogen plays the same lovable every-shmoe he has perfected in past roles (Knocked Up, Pineapple Express), and somehow we can never get enough of it.
Banks is also playing her trademark: the smoking hot girl who is just disorganized and self-deprecating enough that it makes her approachable. They work brilliantly together, and, by association, so does most of the film. In the end, “Zack and Miri” is laugh-out-loud funny.
It’s not a movie for children, and those that are easily offended will probably be turned away by the title alone. So, for everyone else, sit down, try not to think too much, and enjoy the show. Oh, and try not to get any on you.