Zach and Miri Make a Porno review

Donny: I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into the theatre to see Zack and Miri Make a Porno.  The last Kevin Smith film that took place outside the View Askew universe didn’t resonate with me the way his other flicks did.  Don’t get me wrong, I dug Jersey Girl, I just didn’t love it.  So, while I was excited to see the flick I was also worried that I wouldn’t dig it as much as I wanted to.  Thankfully Mr. Smith rocked the shit out of Zack and Miri, cementing himself onto the top of my bad-ass comedy directors list. 

After less than five minutes into the flick I was laughing my ass off.  Rogen and Banks spewed comedy gold every time they opened their mouths.  I know some critics out there felt like the chemistry between the two stars weren’t strong, but I completely disagree.  I felt like their chemistry was perfect.  They were exactly the characters I was hoping for after reading the film’s synopsis.  Rogen I expected to be funny, but I wasn’t expecting Banks to rock the funny as hard as she did.  The lady has skill. Add that to her girl-next-door hotness and you’ve got a winning combination in my book.  This movie has everything you’d expect from a Kevin Smith flick except the View Askew characters that we all know and love, but oddly enough I didn’t miss them.  These characters are just as strong as any of Smith’s previous characters and the story is simply awesome. 

Jon: Yeah, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Zach and Miri, but now I think this film is a gateway to future Kevin Smith films. Whatever Jersey Girl wasn’t for many (although I admit that I like it a lot more than 90% of the world), Zach and Miri has. This film features the typical host of Smith standards: we got crude humor, cussing every other word, memorable lines of dialogue, and secondary characters just as memorable as Zach or Miri. With that, Smith added more heart to the romance and more drama to the proceedings. These characters are us, even if most won’t admit to it, and that’s where Smith succeeds. He writes like nobody else in comedy.

I was afraid of Seth Rogen burnout, as I was tired of him in Pineapple Express. Here, with Smith’s writing, he’s the typical goof, but has an added sense of direction. I do not know Smith personally, but I suspect Seth Rogen’s Zach is some part of smith literally. I don’t always think people can handle Smith dialogue, so it’s nice to see like Donny said; Rogen and Elizabeth Banks handle it exceptionally and have great chemistry. You totally buy into their friendship at first and their natural descent into love.

But I want to talk about the comedy. There are some really standout laughs, like the African-American asked to work Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) and the switch he puts on that race issue, the anal scene, and the build up to Delaney’s (Craig Robinson) wife, these are memorable and quotable. I think after seeing this, I can put aside the notion that Smith must be in his View Askew universe. Frankly, despite other critics, I loved this film.

Donny:  I agree with Jon when he says that the secondary characters were as memorable as the title characters.  Craig Robinson was great; Justin Long and Brandon Routh were unforgettable.  Also it was nice to see Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes rock new characters.  These guys are good actors that don’t get enough credit for the work they do.  But overall the star of Zack and Miri Make a Porno is Smith’s writing.  The guy writes like no one else, and every single character he puts into his scripts is easily relatable.  Kevin Smith is one of the most recognizable writers working in Hollywood today, and his latest directorial effort is freakin’ awesome!  If you haven’t seen this flick yet, get your ass out to the theatre and do so now.  Because Zack and Miri Make a Porno is most definitely a killer film.

Jon: It’s funny to see a Judd Apatow stable actor like Seth Rogen in a Kevin Smith film, because it brings everything full circle. Apatow wouldn’t exist without Kevin Smith, and in here we see that. Apatow has directly aped smith for years and I hope he learns something about characters to care about, as I feel his characters are only create to serve a joke, where as Smith’s are fully dimensional and the jokes come out of situations.

Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson are great, like Donny said, and I wished they got more roles. If anything, I wished the third act had more to it, as it felt rushed. Predictability aside, Zach and Miri Makes a Porno is a pitch perfect comedy worth seeing, even if you’ve been laughing this year, the writing and story is two steps above anything else. I can’t wait to see where Smith goes as a writer and comedian after now showing us he can do material outside of his universe. I love the opening bit where a paperboy causes a car to serve and crash. I enjoyed the George A. Romero nods too, just looking for Tom Savini and notice the name of the hockey team Jeff Anderson plays for. All in all, if you missed this opening week, thanks for reading us, but go see Zach and Miri now!

Grade?

Donny:****

Jon: ****

Rating: