ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO [R]
review by Padraic Maroney

Before there was Judd Apatow, there was Kevin Smith, boldly bringing dick and fart jokes to the mass audiences. Smith has never shied away from raunch, much of which has come in the form of his loveable slackers Jay and Silent Bob. What always set his movies apart was the underlying depth and heart the characters possessed. Unfortunately, what you see is what you get with his latest, the equally not-so-subtle film, Zack And Miri Make A Porno.

Titular characters Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) are feeling the pinch financially on the eve of their 10th year high school reunion. Already feeling down about their situation, having the power shut off in their apartment only makes matters more dire. Thanks in part to a viral video posted online of Miri in her granny panties; Zack decides to take the next logical step and conceives that they should make an adult film together to solve their money problems.

Whereas many of Smith’s previous films have catered to his select following, which consists largely of fanboys and sci-fi geeks, the writer-director seems to be reaching out to mass appeal with “Zack And Miri.” In exchange for getting multi-demographic appeal, Smith has lost some of the charm that has made his previous films such generational classics.

Depth is what is lacking the most from the only surface-deep film. The plot chugs along void of any basis in reality, leaving plot holes aplenty in its wake. What could have been a biting farce lampooning the adult industry never gets further than a flesh wound. Traci Lords, the former underage porn princess who has shunned her infamous past until now, appears as one of the actresses in the film within a film but never is any reference made to her real-life past. When you see someone like Lords finally taking part in a film that can poke fun at her past, the audience is waiting for some kind of acknowledgement as to who she is in real life. It is something that fans will be let down by, though, just like how she is now starting to show her age instead of being the porcelain skinned girl who appeared on “Melrose Place” a decade ago.

Lords isn’t the only supporting character to suffer. Jason Mewes, who gets more than a few laughs, is seen much but not given much to do. Other characters are merely present for their sex scenes and to basically be background figures for the rest of the film. Tisha Campbell-Martin and Brandon Routh do fare better though in minor cameos — you won’t look at Superman the same way after this film.

Since not all comedy has to have a deeper meaning, there are laughs to be had. The most enjoyable are probably left out of print, but Justin Long’s turn as a gay porn star is brief yet one of the most memorable roles in the Mac pitchman’s career. But that is actually part of bigger problem with the film. The laughs fall mostly on the supporting characters while Elizabeth Banks, who is probably funnier as Laura Bush in “W.” (and stepped in after “Clerks II” star Rosario Dawson bowed out due to scheduling conflicts with “Eagle Eye”) and Seth Rogen fall flat most of the time. Their characters don’t have much chemistry despite Zack and Miri supposedly having been lifelong friends, and they come off as petty more than they come off as likeable.

After seeing the movie, one might wonder what all of the controversy has been about. The subject matter is handled with care and while some of the jokes are typically raunchy, including one sight gag that is the most cringe inducing since the “Van Wilder” crepe scene, nothing is any more offense than you might see in other R-rated movies not involving the porn industry. It is actually the jokes that have nothing to deal with the filming that tend to have more adult context to them.

In the past, when Smith has veered away from his View Askew universe, the results have been less than stellar (think “Jersey Girl”). He is venturing into that area again and has hit his second strike (third if you discount the letdown that was “Clerks II”). While there are worse ways to spend an hour-and-a-half of your life, you might be better off waiting for Smith to take the Jay and Silent Bob schtick out of mothballs.•••

Padraic Maroney is a regular contributor to the national network EDGE.