Friday, October 31, 2008

All kinds of funny in 'Zack and Miri'


Kevin Smith's latest comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" is all kinds of funny. As the theatre crowd I was in could tell you, it was laugh out loud funny, gross funny, smart funny, been there done that funny and adult funny. And we laughed in all the right places.

Written and directed by Smith, Zack (Seth Rogen) is the schlub as romantic comedy hero. Miri (Elizabeth Banks) is the down on her luck yet plucky, platonic friend. Leaning on each other since they were kids; as adults they are barely keeping their heads above waves of debt literally freezing them out of house and home. (I don't think that Smith would have known how timely his movie would be.) At wits' end, they must make a radical change in their lives. So what do they do? Let's a make a porno! Yes, there are brief, salacious scenes (rated R), but the meat of how to "make a porno" in this story is in the quick humor and undertones of what it means to be a celebrity, or in this case, microcelebrity.

Fans of Smith's works, "Clerks," "Dogma," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" "Chasing Amy" will be glad to see he continues to work his comic touch. Fans of the former Jay (Jason Mewes) will be glad to see another take on his cocky yet comical personna. Fans of "The Office" will get a big kick out of Craig Robinson (aka Darryl Philbin from "The Office") as the "producer" of the porno with some of the best lines in the movie.


Photo: Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks star in Zack and Miri Make a Porno from The Weinstein Company and View Askew Productions.

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