While the jokes are admittedly very funny, they're constantly offset by a tumbling waterfall of schmaltz.
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.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Feb 19, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $31,382,624
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 remain some scatological touches I am still trying to forget. It's all done with great glee, yet falls far short of being hilarious.
An R-rated film which is rude, crude and disgusting-- and yet strangely sweet and sentimental.
In a strangely perverse way -- and thanks to the solid performances of the two leads -- the love story of Zack and Miri is more touching than you might expect, given the film's grungy setting and essentially sordid theme.
It's crude and rude but there's something endearingly innocent about Kevin Smith's aptly titled comedy in which a dabble in porn becomes a mother of a funny set up
There are a couple of laugh-out-loud moments but messy direction means this X-rated romcom should stay under the counter.
Despite all the waggish raunch-talk, it's just not especially funny. And despite all the agile intercourse (originally rated NC-17), it's frankly kind of a bore.
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.
While Zack and Miri obviously parallels Smith's own piddling career endeavors, it also exposes his filmmaking inadequacies.
The movie has all of the ingredients to be a great comedy, but Smith seems to be stuck and can't break free of his amateurish style.
Miri is vacuous effort that never soars as high as the plot promises, and soon gives way to rushing flood waters of formula that Smith has always been more than ready to slap around before.
It's one thing for a movie to be dirty; it's another thing altogether for it to be plain sloppy.
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
It's a funny concept whose execution does not live up to its potential.
Kevin Smith hasn't matured enough to actually make a good comedy, but he has accrued enough casting wisdom to elevate his latest homegrown material with the effervescent Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks.
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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