REVIEW: Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Year: 2008
Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
MPAA: Rated R

The Weinstein Company first greenlit Zack and Miri Make a Porno simply for the films title. The film than had some trouble with its MPAA rating which saw the film getting numerous NC-17 ratings. The studio did not want this and demanded the film crew change or edit out scenes because its rather hard for studio's to market NC-17 rated films simply because most theaters wont carry them. After many attempts later, the film finally received the R rating the film crew were looking for. I have been interested in this film for quite some time now and have been keeping close with its updates. This was going to be my first Kevin Smith film that I go see and review. Its not that I hate the popular director, but that I simply haven't come across it. I have heard of Clerks and Chasing Amy, but just never had the proper time to see them.

Plot Outline:
Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) are two long time platonic friends who live together. The two find themselves hitting hard times. The water and power in the their apartment get shut off, and they have no money to pay the rent. The two of them face possible eviction. And as a last attempt to make ends meet they come upon the idea to make a "porno" movie. Through making the movie, they realize that they might have more feelings for each other than just friends.

Plot:
The plot for Zack and Miri Make a Porno is rather simple and easy to understand. The whole film centers in on this pair of friends who are simply low on their budget and are looking into making a pornography to help pay off their debts. The story had interesting characters that we could all somewhat relate to. Its also pretty funny and entertaining. Having not seen any of Smith's previous films, I couldn't tell if he had a particular style of shooting. The film also has many sexual content in it which doesn't come off as a surprise considering the films title and film rating. This isn't the type of film to take your 6 year old kid to. While the films story is very enjoyable and entertaining, its also pretty damn predictable. After seeing a good 30 min's of the film, I could already guess where this was headed and how its going to end. Its not bad that its predictable, but it just doesn't make room for surprises. I also thought the ending could have been alittle more fleshed out. I mean its a fine ending and theirs generally nothing wrong with it, but I just thought it could be alittle more different and not so expected.

Cast:
Seth Rogen plays as Zack Brown and he does an alright job in his role. I think he was a pretty good choice to be playing this part, but I have a feeling he could have done better in his perforamnce. He gives a performance that's somewhat similar to that of which he gave in Knocked Up. Nothing really great, but alright to pass. Elizabeth Banks plays Miriam Linky and she too does an alright job in her new role. She doesn't give us a good and memorable performance, but I still thought she was a good choice for this role. Shes also very sexy and charming in the film. Craig Robinson plays Delaney and I thought he was simply hilarious. Hes very funny and very much in character. Robinson is very much funny in all his work, but I think he takes the cake in this film. Jason Mewes plays as Lester and I also think he was pretty funny. He isn't afraid to go full nude and his scenes in the movie show this. I think he was a nice addition to this already funny cast.

Picture:
The visual look of the film isn't something to brag about. The film was just recently released and like most new releases, the film's source is pretty clean. I didn't notice any grain or scratches and the image had a nice smooth look to it. Colors ranged from somewhat vibrant to somewhat dull. The film has many interior scenes and these all are nicely colored. Their are a few scenes where some of the colors can tend to look alittle bland. Flesh tones are accurate and definitely have that warm feeling to them. Detail is what I had a slight problem with. The film exhibits some nice detail on certain objects, but most of the time, the image can tend to look pretty soft. I think this was more of a director's choice thing rather than the film itself.

Sound:
The soundtrack in Zack and Miri Make a Porno is pretty good. The film doesn't look like its got its very own score and nor should it. The movie starts out with some punk/rock music and it sounds good. Theirs always music where it should be and they all sound appropriate for the film. I think this also has something to do with the director. The films bass isn't going to get much love. This isn't by all means, the type of film to demo to your friends if your trying to show off your new surround sound speakers. The film has bass where it should be and it sounds generally good for a film like this. Its not like I was expecting much from the film's bass anyway.

Conclusion:
Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a great film that I very much enjoyed watching. The plot was interesting and entertaining even though it was way too predictable. I also thought the ending could have used alittle work, but still a solid film overall. I thought the cast was good and very funny. Craig Robinson easily stole the show for me. The visual look of the film is pretty colorful, but lacks detail here and their. The soundtrack was pretty good and was used effectively, but the bass was pretty soft. I can recommend this film to those who are big Kevin Smith fans or are just looking for a good comedy film. Its not perfect, but its pretty entertaining.

Grade: B