Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

After six little words, Harvey Weinstein is sold
By Jay A. Fernandez, Special to The Times
June 6, 2007

It's rarely a good idea to greenlight a movie off of a title alone (unless it includes the words "Pirates" and "Caribbean"). That's like falling in love with a MySpace photo.

But when Harvey Weinstein pulled the trigger on the latest raunchy comedy idea from "Dogma" and "Clerks II" writer-director Kevin Smith after Smith had written only six words of it, Weinstein's $15 million looked like a pretty good bet.

The title? "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."

For a certain stripe of moviegoer, that's a sure thing.

"A bawdy sex comedy with heart," as Smith describes the just-completed script, "Zack and Miri" is about two friends who have managed to trudge into their 30s with a satisfying lack of accomplishment. But a 15-year high school reunion and dire rent problems spark the novel moneymaking idea of pulling together an amateur porn enterprise. As for where it goes from there, just think of Smith's characteristic sexual verbosity finally coupled with matching imagery.

"It's … dirty, with nudity," says Smith. "But funny nudity, not gratuitous nudity." Well, leave it to Smith to choose a plotline that kneecaps the issue entirely. (The civilians-making-a-blue-movie conceit also drove the narrative of writer-director Michael Traeger's "The Amateurs," which played festivals last year.) Because the story unfolds during a snowy Minnesota winter, Smith plans to film "Zack and Miri" there in February (although, Smith jokes, global warming may force him to shoot at one of the poles).

In the intervening months, Smith is publishing a book of reprinted blog entries from SilentBobSpeaks.com called "My Boring Ass Life." And he hopes to squeeze in filming of his low-budget ($3 million) horror script, "Red State," by the end of the year. Smith is aiming to give the politically charged screenplay, about outsiders who stumble into "fundamentalism gone to the extreme" in Middle America, a naturalistic, drive-in feel.

"Horror is more than a dude with a chain saw," says Smith, who engaged the Christian right promotional machine for the release of "Dogma." Given his rabid fan base, Smith is keeping the screenplay on lockdown at his Hollywood Hills home, so agents, actors and executives have needed a personal invitation to see it. Rosario Dawson, a "Clerks II" star, is supposed to give it a read this week.

After her vampy turns in "Sin City" and "Grindhouse," it sounds like a perfect trilogy.

Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks have been announced as Zack and Miri. Filming begins in the new year, I believe.

According to the latest Smodcast, the movie's filmed, edited, and they're just waiting for a few effects shots and music clearances.

I will see it because I am a big Smith fan, but I'm not having high expectations.

J&SBSB was like a spoof. C2 tried to have heart and pluck from the strings of the first Clerks, but I think Smith might have lost a step.

Apatow Crew is leading the pack these days. Smith has been already passed by the Frat Pack, which Apatow beats up in the box office now.

I hope the film is good though.

-HECK!

I like the actors in Apatow's movies, but I think they make HIM funny, not the other way around. There are so many badly written jokes in the dude's movies, it's not funny.

As for this... well, it'll be like all of Kevin Smith's other work. He hit his peak with Dogma, and that's the way it is. Still enjoy a good laugh from his stuff.

Loved this movie. Watched it twice yesterday.

Better than Chasing Amy, not as good as Dogma (this is my opinion though). Basically, Smith'll never top Dogma, but I reckon this is better than all the other stuff he's done.

It had a good tit-and-puss-to-cock-and-ballsack ratio, and the cock scene in the movie was actually hilariously well done. The movie itself had a lot of shit that cracked me up, but my favorite bit was the Justin Long / Brandon Routh gay scene. Justin Long was hilarious. Brandon Routh didn't seem too into the character (when they kiss, you see him obviously avoid it). Not like I'm cheering to see dudes kissing, it was awkward.

The love story was very sweet. Surprisingly so, actually. The movie definitely worked.

Finally watched this... and I didn't like it that much.

I laughed a few times, but it just was a swing and a miss for me.

I am a big Kevin Smith guy. This was dissappointing to say the least.

I'm all for crude language, but it seemed forced. Plot was stale. Romantic drama was weak.

-HECK!

Woah man, you and I are like on two totally different wave lengths here.

Normally we agree on movies, but I just didn't laugh. It seemed genuine at times, but I just can't put my finger on it.

Rogen and Banks couldn't deliver Smith's dialogue.

-HECK!

Banks, perhaps. She didn't quite look or act the part. But she did alright. I felt it. She just didn't seem like the kind of chick who'd be a) a loser in highschool, b) hanging out with a douche like Rogan for as long as she has.

I thought Rogan was exactly what he needed to be. Mewes was the funniest he's ever been in this.

Mewes was good. The guy that played Randal did a good job too.

But the gags just feel flat, like the shitting on dudes face scene.

The comedy bar was raised and I don't think Kevin Smith can jump that high.

-HECK!

The shitting on the dude's face bit was a bit out there. Can't say I laughed.

Just watched this. It was alright. I have to agree with both of you, Justin Long was great, the guy who played Bobby, not so much. Thought Seth Rogan was good, but not so much the Miri chick. Yeah, not the sort who would hang out with a guy like that and get into a situation like that. I dunno, it was OK, might watch it again, might not.

Plus, when he puts that hand warmer thing down his pants and starts yelling about his "taint" burning - thanks to HECK! i now know what a taint is.

Actually just finished watching this. I have to agree with both HECK and Gaboman. I really like the movie, it had a sweet story but the crude language did seem a bit forced at times and I could definately have done without seeing dude's face get shitted on, that was just disgusting. But besides that it was halariously.

The blu-ray (and probably the DVD) of this is loaded with awesome shit. The best is the hour and a half of delete scenes. Half an hour of those alone are just Brandon Routh and Justin Long talking about being gay (with two dudes making out in a pool behind them).

Justin Long was fucking brilliant, I can't figure out why more of this shit wasn't in the movie. Though it doesn't necessarily have anywhere it'd fit in properly, it just would have been funny.

On the other hand, the fact that he wasn't in the movie that much does make that obviously the stand-out scene.

They should make like a spin off movie with Justin Longs character and Bobby Long. That would be halarious.

While I think it could be funny, that'd be the gayest movie ever.