Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Better Late Then Never

Best movie ever!

A Brilliant Conflict

Though comedies are usually not my cup of tea when it comes to film, I've usually always been impressed by the work of Seth Rogen and the persona he has been able to cultivate on-screen. Unfortunately, "Zack and Miri Make A Porno" proves that a great director can be a comedian's best friend...or worst enemy.For a basic plot summary, this movie tells the story of Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks), two people living together trying to make ends meet. When it begins to become clear that the ends will never meet, Zack hatches a plan to make some quick dough...a home-made porno film.This movie is primarily an example of how you can't just "let a comedian loose" on film. Under the direction of, say, Judd Apatow in "Knocked Up", Rogen was brilliant because the stories going on around him were also interesting. The same can be said (though to a lesser extent) for the more recent "Neighbors". In "Zack & Miri", however, there is nothing interesting that happens in this movie AT ALL. Rogen is expected to carry the entire film and he can't manage such a feat alone.This is truly a terrible movie that was an utter waste of time from beginning to end. On top of the candidate list for one of the worst flicks I've seen in a number of years. Watch some of the aforementioned Rogen efforts instead if you are craving some juvenile humor. Stay away from this one at ALL COSTS!

Despite the obvious smuttiness of the title, Zack and Miri Make a Porno is one of writer/director Kevin Smith's sweetest, and most formulaic, films to date. Pushing it's 'R' rating to the limit with its combination of sexual innuendo, crude profanity and skin-on-skin action, Seth Rogen's cuddly and beardy Zack and Elizabeth Banks's bubbly and adorably inept Miri - life-long friends sharing a frozen Pittsburg apartment - are a particularly cutesy couple, and the slow realisation of their love for one another provides a nice and oddly believable romance.Having not paid their utility bills in months due to sheer bone idleness and Zack's weakness for making ridiculous online purchases, Zack and Miri are cut off and are left to huddle next to a home-made indoor fire in their overcoats. Whilst attending their high school reunion, Miri hopes to bump uglies with her former crush, Bobby Long (Brandon Routh), but discovers that he is now gay and in a relationship with gay porn star Brandon (Justin Long - a porn name if I ever heard one). Impressed with Brandon's success, Zack suggests to Miri that they make their own porn movie in the hope of making enough money to have the lights switched back on.At its best, Zack and Miri is very funny, with Craig Robinson's deadpan Delaney, Zack's co-worker who helps fund the project, providing the majority of the films most humorous moments. When it really should be the anti-When Harry Met Sally (1989), it misses a trick by following the rom-com gospel to a tee. Although it certainly doesn't shy away from the porn (Jason Mewes and Traci Lords get to enjoy most of that), its little more than a veil for a traditional "it was you all along!" romance. Still, even though it doesn't reach the heights of Smith's best works like Clerks (1994) and Chasing Amy (1997), there are plenty of laughs to be had for the casual audience and Smith cultists alike.

The whole Kev Smith gang's here and that is probably the best part of the film. The story itself is simple and very predictable. Zack & Miri are lifelong friends since high-school, but never amounted to anything so they need money and the quickest way is to make a porn film. Don't expect (much) nudity, it's still an R rated Hollywood production, not an NC-17 'real' porn movie. Rogen acts like he always acts (he's no Pacino), Banks is a lot better but she can only work with what's written. All in all a mediocre film. Kevin Smith seems to be a director who's career goes in reverse: his first film Clercks was his masterpiece and every new film he's made since has been worse than the previous one. That sure gives you some perspective for his new film Tusk. Let's hope Smith can turn the tide...

I'm gonna get this right out of the way, I have never seen a Seth Rogen comedy nor a Kevin Smith film prior to this. Zack and Miri Make a Porno is my big introduction to both Seth Rogen's jerkoff comedy films, and director Kevin Smith's work. Before, I only knew Rogen based on films like The Green Hornet and Kung Fu Panda and I've never seen a Kevin Smith film before. But after checking this out, I'm glad to say that I'm interested in checking out MORE of their work.The plot of Zack and Miri Make a Porno follows two roommates in Monroeville, Pennsylvania named Zack Brown and Miri Linky. Despite both being employed, they haven't paid their utility bills in months. After going to their high-school reunion, where Zack finds out one of his former classmates is now a porn star, Zack decides to do it as well with Miri and a few friends'help.The thing that surprised me most about Zack and Miri Make a Porno is how unapologetic it is with its content. At first, I thought this was gonna be, at BEST, a PG-13 film that only makes tame references to sex and not show much but instead, the film goes all-out with excessive profanity, graphic sex depictions, and lots of nudity. There's many scenes in the film where your jaw will just DROP from what you saw on screen and depending on your sense of humor, you will either chuckle your balls off, or you'll just be incredibly offended and grossed-out. It's certainly not a film for everyone. However, since I don't mind dirty humor every once in a while, I actually found the film quite funny. Even though the language is very profane, there's a wit and charm to the way the characters deliver them. They don't just say "Fwck!" or $hit!" again and again, they get creative with them and make up something witty and clever instead. Some of the funniest moments for me was when they come up with porn parody titles, which include Dawn of the Dick, Star Whores, and Fwckback Mountain. The sex scenes, while graphic, have a lot of good physical comedy to them and there's even one that works as a dramatic, intimate scene that also feels realistic. And while the nudity's not entirely necessary, it makes the porn in the feel all the more authentic.While Zack and Miri is not a DEEP film, it does have heart and characters you can latch on to. Seth Rogen plays Zack Brown as a bit of a juvenile moron but he clearly has a heart and you can buy his love for Miri at the end. Zack could've been one of those characters who started out funny, but who's schtick just got old midway through and it probably would have if he was the sole protagonist but since has someone to bounce it off with, he becomes lot more likable. Elizabeth Banks portrays Miri as the straight man(or woman in this case) of the duo and she's likable in her own right. Banks feels very normal and genuine on screen here and it makes you buy her being friends with someone like Seth Rogen when she looks like a model. But she also has funny moments of her own such as when she tries to seduce her former classmate Bobby, who turns out to be a gay porn star. The love story between these two work because the way they're written make them don't feel like traditional rom com characters. They actually sound more like bros hanging out instead because of the way they talk to one another and the fact that they actually TALK about whether one of them wants to have sex with the other and having it take place like a normal conversation is actually pretty refreshing. I also love how there's no clichéd "misunderstanding" situation when Zack mistakens her of sleeping with Brandon. Any other movie would have had this as a huge problem in the story but here, it's done and over with very quickly and they play it up more for comedy. They're relationship is what ultimately carries the film and because of the solid performances the actors give and the refreshing writing, it works.The rest of the cast is pretty good as well. There's not a WHOLE lot to say about them, as they're mostly just there for comedy but Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes, Traci Lords, Katie Morgan, Ricky Mabe, and Justin Long were ALL hilarious, especially Justin Long as gay porn star Brandon. His deep voice with his straight face when reading out porn titles is just comedy gold.But with that being said, there are some minor problems I have with this film. I thought the ending was a little rushed and I would've actually liked to SEE what the characters did afterwards as opposed to just title cards on screen TELLING us what happened. And I do think Zack and Miri's relationship was more interesting before they started filming porn and getting really awkward over each other. I liked how subversive their relationship was before so it was kind of a disappointment that the film had to go through a lot of the clichés we see in this type of film later on. But overall, this is a funny, witty film that may not be for everyone, but for Seth Rogen/Kevin Smith fan, it's a must-see. 7/10