"Zack and Miri Make a Porno." - Movie Review.

By Bob Zerull

4 Stars:

When I found out that Kevin Smith had written "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" for Seth Rogen and that Seth Rogen signed on, I was instantly excited. I loved how Seth Rogen played off of Paul Rudd in both "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up," not to mention how he played off of Bill Hader in "Superbad." To put it in perspective, my five favorite comedies in the last five years have been "Clerks 2," "The 40 Year Old Virgin," "Knocked Up," "Superbad," and The Chicago Cubs.



"Zack and Miri Make a Porno" is a great film, primarily due to an extremely well rounded cast, not to mention Smith's dialogue. Along with Rogen, "Zack and Miri" stars Smith regulars Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson along with Smith newcomers Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Katie Morgan and Traci Lords. The actors took turns stealing scenes from one another.

Rogen and Banks carried the movie as Zack and Miri. 2008 seems to be the break out year for Banks who also stars in "W" and "Role Models." She's one of the most lovable actresses and she does not disappoint. She holds her own, going line for line with Rogen. I look forward to seeing Elizabeth Banks in more starring roles. She has everything it takes to be a leading lady. In order for this movie to work as well as it does, you have to buy into her and boy does she sell it.

The best thing to come out of the writer's strike was Craig Robinson getting time off from "The Office" to be in this. I love watching this guy on "The Office," and he stole the show for the two minutes he was in "Knocked Up." The guy has great comedic delivery. I can't say enough about this cast. The "frosting" on the cake if you will is Jeff Anderson. If Jeff Anderson didn't play Randal in "Clerks," it is possible we never get the witness Kevin Smith's career take off. I don't have enough room to even talk about Katie Morgan, Traci Lords & Jason Mewes, all of which share their fair share of scenes. Mewes in fact steals the final scene of the movie, which is a crucial scene in the plot.



The plot is a pretty simple one, Zack and Miri don't have money to pay the rent and they ultimately decide to make a porno to raise money. Their reasoning is that they don't have family that would be ashamed, they don't have any dignity left and who wouldn't pay to watch someone they knew have sex on camera? That's a good point - I probably would.

For all of you movie geeks, there are a lot of cool things to look for in this movie. First of all, the porno is made the same way Kevin made "Clerks." They shoot the scenes at night in the coffee shop that Rogen and Robinson work in. Additionally, the hockey team that Rogen and Anderson play on is called the Monroeville Zombies, an homage to George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead," not to mention a cameo from Tom Savini, the special effects artist from "Dawn of the Dead." There are a couple of other cameos that I'll save for your surprise.

I have read a few reviews, not many, saying that Kevin Smith is ripping off Judd Apatow by stealing his cast. What bugs me about that comment is that Kevin Smith broke the barriers for movies like Apatow's, among others. Every time Robert DeNiro is in a movie, you don't hear critics claiming that someone is stealing from Martin Scorsese. Yes, there are at least four members of the cast that have appeared in an Apatow movie, but this is not an Apatow movie. While I love "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up," they tend to have a couple moments here and there that drag. This movie never drags; it flows better, because the script is tighter. Kevin Smith is a very good editor. I can only assume that Kevin has no problem cutting a scene that could be hilarious, but only slows the movie down. That is the trait of a good filmmaker. I really hope that this movie is a hit for Kevin, because in my mind he is one of the more under appreciated directors out there.



BYLINE:

Bob Zerull is a frequent movie and concert goer who talks about his ventures to arenas and theaters more than any person should be allowed to do. Now, he puts them down on paper. Email him your thoughts at: bzerull19@gmail.com.