Synopsis:
Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to
solve their respective cash-flow problems by
making an adult film together. As the cameras
roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they
may have more feelings for each other than they
previously thought.
The Freak's
Rating: B- : One of my earliest ventures
into true film appreciation was Clerks.
Kevin Smith blew onto the independent film scene
with some of the sharpest dialogue ever written.
Smith has never quite been back on track with a
string of mediocre comedies including Jersey
Girl, Mallrats and even Clerks 2. Even
dragging the same characters back on screen in
nearly each one hasn't help Smith bring back the
magical dialogue.
Zack & Miri Make A Porno, along with having a
title many won't bring up around the dinner
table, also has some of the best dialogue Smith
has written since his freshman effort.
Razor sharp barbs are keyed up for a delivery
meant to make you convulse from laughter.
The main hiccup is the delivery. Seth
Rogen has overstayed his "beloved teddy bear"
typecasting and Smith seems to always have to
bring back the actors from the Clerks franchise
to get the delivery he wants. Elizabeth
Banks is a bright spot of the film, adorable as
Miri. The real star comic performance is
given by Craig Robinson (of The Office).
Robinson is hilarious in his delivery of every
line. Justin Long also has a fantastic
cameo at Zack and Miri's high school reunion as
a gay pornstar/director.
There are still some amazingly funny lines here
though. One of my favorites:
Miri - "Zack, noone wants to see us &%^$"
Zack - "Everybody wants to see anybody &%*$.
I hate Rosie O'Donnell, but if someone said, ' I
got a tape of Rosie O'Donnell getting &%^$'ed
stupid', I'd be like 'why the f&%* aren't we
watching that right now!"
It is quotable, it has good lines, but there are
serious failures that keep it out of the A
range. Take note Hollywood, gross out
humor is no longer popular. Z&M has one
scene of this style and it isn't even close to
amusing. If you're going to spin a romance
between two characters, a porno is a difficult
way to do so. I realize that telling a
romantic comedy around a porno is the challenge
and ultimately the real joke of the film,
however...bad move. You could have stuck
with the porno gag and taken a few different
angles that may have worked. The way it is
done doesn't seem genuine and fails to invoke
any sense of pleasure for the characters
uniting. Finally, start casting Seth Rogen
as the buddy, not the leading man. Rogen
is likeable, but seeing him as anything other
than a co-pilot to a leading man seems out of
place. Much like he didn't belong doing
action stunts in Pineapple Express, he doesn't
belong here as a hairy man-child who somehow
elicits lust from a cute Elizabeth Banks.
Z&M will please Kevin Smith fans (like myself)
who know the potential of the man's writing.
Though I wouldn't call it a great effort, it is
as close to Clerks as he's been in years.
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