Edmonton International Film Festival 2008  

Film: Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Director/Writer: Kevin Smith

Studio: Alliance Films

Screening Date: 6:45 p.m., Monday, September 29th

Film Length: 102 mins.

Reviewed By: Xanthe Couture (Edmonton Correspondent - Canada)

Walking into a Kevin Smith movie already comes with a few preconceived notions: very politically incorrect humour and characters that are living average mundane lives, much like the rest of us. Plots for Smith’s movies have been based around working in a convenience store, spending a day wandering around at the mall, and now being a coffee shop employee broke and needing to make some extra cash in creative ways.

The themes never seem to get old and Zack and Miri Make a Porno is no exception to the successful Smith formula. The situations are always hilarious and in some cases too close to what conversations actually transpire between friends.

The premise for the film is simple, what should some short on cash roommates do when their water and electricity is cut off, the list of options short and with no one to care or be embarrassed by their get rich quick scheme, Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) soon decide that making a porno soon that at least the people in their hometown would pay to see, is the best option.  

With some similarities to the Full Monty, Zack and Miri go on a quest to find a cast for their film, find funding and a place to shoot and of course find a great name for their film. The Star Whores concept, the adversity the crew, encounters, which includes real porn actresses Traci Lordes and Katie Morgan, and the eventual choice of venue are all original and utterly hilarious.

Zack and Miri’s scene in the porno is an ongoing issue throughout the film as the pair wonder if there could be something more to their strong friendship that dates back to high school.

A Smith film with some romantic comedy thrown in the mix, Zack and Miri Make a Porno is sickly funny and heart warming all at the same time and might make you wonder what goes on in your local coffee shop after closing.

Smith had to fight for his R-Rating after originally getting an underserved NC-17 Rating.  Prepare to laugh, be disgusted, and possibly touched when this films opens for general release on Halloween.