Smith may have pioneered this kind of upfront sex chat, but the Apatow team refined it. ‘Zack and Miri’ feels uncomfortably like a gruesome game of filth-talk oneupmanship, and it’s hard to care who comes out on top.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:176
Fresh:114
Rotten:62
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a modest success for Kevin Smith, due in large part to the charm of Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.
Theatrical Release:14-11-2008
Synopsis: As its explicit title suggests, Kevin Smith's ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO is a foul-mouthed and filthy film that probably isn't fit for the very young, the very old, or the easily offended. But for... As its explicit title suggests, Kevin Smith's ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO is a foul-mouthed and filthy film that probably isn't fit for the very young, the very old, or the easily offended. But for those who enjoy Smith's brand of humor, this raunchy but romantic comedy could be the perfect date movie (though perhaps not for a first date). With mountains of past-due bills piling up, Zack (Seth Rogen, KNOCKED UP) and his roommate/childhood friend Miri (Elizabeth Banks, SCRUBS) aren't sure how they're going to stay in their Pittsburgh apartment. But a chance encounter at their 10-year reunion gives them the idea to make a porn movie. When it comes time for the friends to do the deed, they realize that perhaps they're more than just friends. With all the talk of sexual positions and bodily functions, it'd be easy to say that Smith is hopping on the Judd Apatow bandwagon that has dominated the box office in the latter half of the aughts with KNOCKED UP and THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, and ZACK AND MIRI even features a few Apatow alumni. But Smith perfected this schtick down back in the '90s with CLERKS, when some of Apatow's fans were still in diapers. ZACK AND MIRI is most reminscent of Smith's own CHASING AMY; there are plenty of gag- or giggle-inducing moments, but Smith's script is also surprisingly sweet. Rogen and Banks make a perfect couple, and the always hilarious Rogen could be Smith's new Ben Affleck or Jason Lee. [More]
Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Traci Lords, Jason Mewes
Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Traci Lords, Jason Mewes, Ricky Mabe, Craig Robinson, Katie Morgan, Jeff Anderson
Director: Kevin Smith
Director: Kevin Smith
Screenwriter: Kevin Smith
Producer: Scott Mosier
Composer: James Venable
Studio: Weinstein Company
Reviews for Zack and Miri Make a Porno
A film as much about friendship as it is about sex, it's like he's teaching his fans how to grow up gracefully.
This is the most soppy and unsexy 18-certificate skin-flick ever made.
This is a very ordinary comedy script, and the presence of Smith's trusty repertory players in minor roles makes this for fans only.
Or: Kevin Smith makes an icky and secretly conservative sex comedy.
The only problem is that hardcore action and a touchy-feely love story do not the best bed-fellows make and the final reel ill-advisedly juxtaposes an over-sweetened romance with a gross-out gag that will having you gulping for clean air.
If you are broad minded, or are in the right mood for some naughty silliness, then you should find this film as entertaining as I did.
The only 21st-century aspects of it are the unfunnily vulgar references to sexual and bodily functions along with several hundred uses of the F-word, which those who adore Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross may find a thousand times less wearisome than I did
What I should add is that it's the funniest one I have seen in ages. And while it does feature an awful lot of swearing and cheerfully bad taste comic moments, it is also engagingly sentimental and sweetly romantic.
There are a couple of laugh-out-loud moments but messy direction means this X-rated romcom should stay under the counter.
I won’t spoil the twist by revealing it, though you may not want to spoil the film by sitting through it. My suggestion, not wholly frivolous: see the first hour, then go to the pub.
Rogen does his man-child-slob shtick dependably, and Elizabeth Banks is a good sport as well as a decent comedian. One only wishes that the whole thing were funnier.
Crude, hilarious, if a little corny, Smith's latest hardcore comedy is right on the money shot.
If this is part of our comedy culture, there’s definitely something wrong somewhere.
Smartly directed, superbly acted and frequently hilarious comedy – this is Kevin Smith's best film since Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
Seth Rogen is no one's idea of a porn star. He talks like Yogi Bear and looks like Peter Ustinov when he played gladiator trainer Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus.
It is the cozy marriage of sensibilities between the director of Clerks and the co-writer/star of Superbad that gives this movie its particular go-for-the-groin, land-on-the-heart chemistry.
There are a number of gut-bustingly funny individual scenes, but the narrative as a whole lacks thematic cohesion.
Ainda que Smith continue a exibir sua compulsão em escrever diálogos que usam a escatologia e os palavrões como forma barata (e ineficaz) de humor, o filme é um grande avanço em relação aos seus três últimos péssimos trabalhos.
Latest News for Zack and Miri Make a Porno
February 08, 2009:
Two porn stars and true romance on their, well, first date on camera, and a stud geek worried about man boobs. Kevin and Seth make a porno that may be too hardcore for the sexually squeamish and too mushy for porniacs. ![]()
More...
February 02, 2009:
RT on DVD: Friday the 13th Redux, Zack & Miri, Nick & Norah
Prepare to relive the rise (and death, and rise and death) of Jason Voorhees as the first three Friday the 13th flicks are re-released this week (Part 3 even comes with 3D... More...
January 31, 2009:
Two porn stars and true romance on their, well, first date on camera, and a stud geek worried about man boobs. Kevin and Seth make a porno that may be too hardcore for the sexually squeamish and too mushy for porniacs. ![]()
More...
November 14, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Is Zack And Miri Make A Porno On The Money (Shot)? Is Max Payne Maxing Or Taxing?
This week in the UK cinema screens we have Kevin Smith's latest, the intuitively titled Zack And Miri Make A Porno. Marky Mark Wahlberg stars in the video game adaptation Max... More...
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