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In "Porno" Smith fumbles with romance
Yet classic funny outweighs the melodrama
By Danielle Stevens
One wonders if Smith really knows what it feels like to fall in love or if he’s just watched too many John Hughes movies and got it all wrong.
When Kevin Smith channels his undeniably masterful wit and sense of humor in the right directions, its hard to top him. It is all out, no-holds-barred showcased in the Oct. 31 release, “Zach and Miri Make a Porno." The vast majority of the movie is clever and the usual Smith laugh out loud, fall out of your chair funny. Unfortunately though, he doesn’t get the romance right, and the film takes a sharp turn in the last third and ends up in the melodramatic.
Zach (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) are best friends and roommates living in a typical working class town (this time Smith substitutes Pittsburgh for his usualNew Jersey). They hold menial coffee house jobs and have a hefty pile of unpaid bills. At a high school reunion, the pair meet gay porn star Brandon (Justin Long, a movie-stealing delight whose fake deep voice and porno name are worth the price of admission alone) who enlightens them about the financial promise in the sex industry.
When their water, electricity, and heat are simultaneously shut off, Zach and Miri consider Brandon's words, and decide that their best and only option to make quick cash is to make their own porno. Their friend Delaney (Craig Robinson) agrees to front his plasma TV money to produce the film after he is told he can help cast the female leads, and Zach and Miri find the rest of their cast and crew (including Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes and Tracy Lords) through various comical means. After a failed attempt at a "Star Wars" themed porn (complete with creative use of light saber props), they finally decide to film at their coffee shop. Zach and Miri, formerly firmly planted in the friend zone, begin to mysteriously find excuses for solo sex scenes, and even their playful sparring about the absence of romantic feelings only lead something more serious.
Once the romance inevitably “happens,” the film takes a sharp nose dive into cringe-worthy cheesiness, replete with laughable slow-motion shots. One wonders if Smith really knows what it feels like to fall in love or if he’s just watched too many John Hughes movies and got it all wrong.
As a lead, everyman Seth Rogen, seemingly born to deliver Apatow dialogue, is possibly even more perfect to play a Kevin Smith character, and Elizabeth Banks is the best female Smith lead since Joey Lauren Adams in “Chasing Amy.” The always hilarious Jason Mewes proves that he’s as funny, if not more, as sober and sex-crazed Lester as he was high as a kite. Craig Robinson, Jeff Anderson and the rest of the cast all have endless supply of perfectly delivered sidesplitting lines. Smith, like Apatow, is a master at creating remarkably relatable and accessible characters (at least to the 20 and 30-something sect), and he doesn’t drop anywhere ball here. Aside from the fortunately short bit of fumbled romance, this film is highly recommended for a good time, especially for those fans of the View Askew universe.
> Comments
Poser Poster on Nov 10, 2008 at 07:35 AM:
Romance has no place in comedies; it will be poorly executed 99% of the time. Also, Rogen and Banks look so pudgy! Was Smith going for extra comedic effect when he cast them that way? Otherwise, why not delay filming until they shape up a bit? Good grief!