Review of Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) by Bruno V — 30 Dec 2015

Dare I say that Kevin Smith made, for all intents and purposes, a chick flick disguised behind multiple layers of raunchy sex and scatological humor (much like Clerks II)?? Yes, I do dare say that, because that's exactly what this movie is. It wasn't a horrible movie and it's definitely not Kevin Smith's worst film, but there's just something off about this one. There are definitely funny moments in this, mostly coming from the Smith regulars but there's something disappointingly melancholy about it all. Kevin Smith is at the height of his power when he's working within the Askewniverse that he created- his sense of humor and dialog feels kind of out of place being set in what's supposed to be the real world. Hearing the same kind of racy humor we are familiar with from Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back just feels misplaced in this movie especially when coming from Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson. Rogen is funny here but it's not really the Rogen we know and love from Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin... Here his natural Rogen-ness is stifled by seeming strict adherence to Smiths written dialog. I just really don't know how to pin down how I feel about this movie. It's not horrible, it's not that good, and it tries just a little too hard to push the envelope. The resulting movie is one without a clear demographic. The raunchy sex talk and humor would suggest that this is for the same crowd that loves Smith's other films, the addition of Seth Rogen and Craig Robinson would suggest that it's targeted toward the Apatow crowd. The overly schmaltzy, emotional romantic aspect is really what undermines what is seemingly supposed to be a hard-R raunchy comedy- what you get is a very strange and unsettling hybrid of a Kevin Smith film, a Judd Apatow film, and a Lifetime movie.

Kevin Smith fans may ultimately be disappointed. He took a chance leaving the Askewniverse behind to tackle all new characters, edgy subject matter, and to capitalize on the Apatow/Rogen gravy train.. the sad thing is that most of what we love about Smith's Askewniverse films is present here, but it just never meshes with everything else crammed in here.