Zack and Miri Make a Porno

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Based on 14 reviews
Kids say
Based on 23 reviews
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this Kevin Smith comedy about amateur porn filmmakers -- which was rated R on appeal after initially receiving an NC-17 -- is packed with coarse, crude language and situations, including explicit depictions of sex acts and full-frontal nudity. Characters are seen having sex with people they don't know very well, with no mention of safe-sex practices or contraception. In one of the film's more over-the-top sight gags, a character filming a sex scene is sprayed with feces. Language includes every four-letter word under the sun and them some, and there are plenty of body part/function terms and racial/sexual epithets as well. Two homosexual characters (one of whom is portrayed very flamboyantly) are shown in a loving, committed relationship.
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What's the Story?
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO may have the most straightforward plot-to-title relationship of any film this year. It follows lifelong friends and roommates Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) who, in desperate financial need, decide that they'll solve their money problems by making their own pornographic film. Assembling a rag-tag group to work on both sides of the camera, Zack and Miri deal with the setbacks of filmmaking and worry about how their sex scene is going to affect their friendship. They tell themselves it's "just sex" -- but is sex ever "just sex"? And what if it isn't?
Is It Any Good?
Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a prime example of what happens when a filmmaker creates a movie based solely on a premise without thinking about plot or plausibility or personality. As Zack and Miri strive and struggle to film their money-making porno, they tackle their feelings for each other; at the same time, we're not given much reason to care about them. Kevin Smith's films (Clerks, Chasing Amy, and more) have always wrapped personal connection in potty talk and pop-culture references, but the mix feels off in Zack and Miri Make a Porno. It's as if he felt that throwing around more graphic sex and explicit language would make up for a paper-thin plot. (If Zack and Miri really need money, why not just get better jobs, or a loan? If Zack and Miri are directing and creating the film with other actors, why do they have to have sex at all?)
There are a few high points in the movie -- or at least points higher than the sex scenes and scatological humor. Rogen is still a likeable screen presence, and he manages to convey how Zack's filmmaking adventure brings out a sense of ambition and personal effort that his normal life working as a coffee barista lacked. Banks doesn't get as interesting a character arc -- we're never even told what Miri does for a living -- but her natural charm still shines through. But moments aren't movies, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno seems awfully self-satisfied; Smith has never filmed a script he didn't write, and -- like many writer-directors -- it's possible he may not be the best judge of his own work. Zack and Miri may be selling itself as a sexy, crazy, controversial comedy, but there's no steak to go along with the sizzle.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the hard-to-negotiate differences between sex, love, and friendship. What does this movie have to say about all three?
Talk about the popularity of raunchy comedies -- why do you think these kinds of movies have become so prevalent? Does this reflect a new openness about sex or an anything-goes permissiveness that cheapens real sexuality?
Talk about why people make pornography -- and why people watch it.
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 31, 2008
- On DVD or streaming: February 3, 2009
- Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Seth Rogen
- Director: Kevin Smith
- Studio: Weinstein Co.
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 101 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language.
- Last updated: July 2, 2022
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