There may not be a special movie rating for this kind of coyness, but it definitely feels like emotional porn.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
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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
There are laughs. Big, loud laughs. Laughs of self-recognition, laughs at social duplicity, laughs at prejudices of all types. Lots of laughs about the most basic of human functions. And many, many laughs at our own inhibitions.
Some great one-liners and another comic crescendo from Rogen saves Zack and Miri Make a Porno from mere mediocrity.
While I wouldn't call the role of cheery, foul-mouthed Miri nuanced, Banks and Rogen click in a way that Rogen and Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up did not.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno, in spite of its lewdness, follows a gee-whiz romantic-comedy formula that would not be out of place on the Disney Channel.
Other peoples' emotional intimacy can be downright embarrassing. Here, sadly, it's also boring.
May not be perfect, but it does show a filmmaker reinvigorated by his own writing and the potential of the raunchy comedy to be more than just a niche audience product.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno is definitely Smith's filthiest, funniest and most sentimental film to date. There is a scene where you will laugh for 5 minutes straight.
[Smith] fails to wring any memorable comedy from shoestring porno filmmakers because his own filmmaking is just as amateurish and slovenly.
Porn and true love go 'hand-in-gland' in this latest, arguably best outing by auteur Kevin Smith--making for one DD-cupped hooter of a comedy.
[Smith] has gone and made his most mature and romantically affecting film since Chasing Amy.
With its combination of heart and hilarity, bawdy blackouts and cleverly drawn characters, Smith starts out strong and ends up delivering something that's timeless as well as tasteless.
Americans shouldn't have to feel comfortable with the thought of kicking back and having a beer with their President, but it's not a bad criterion for a comedy filmmaker, and Smith is that guy.
Sweet and raunchy, but it's rarely funny and that's pretty fatal for a romantic comedy.
More often than not Zack & Miri will elicit genuine laughs. And it has a lot of heart to go with those laughs.
The last half hour contains scenes that are almost obscene in their earnestness.
I've never seen a film where people look like they're having more fun together. If you don't offend easily, Zack and Miri is a riot. And Seth Rogen as a porn star is no worse than Ron Jeremy, right?
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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