Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (18)

Dir. Kevin Smith

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

In these credit crunch times people it seems are being driven to ever more desperate lengths to make ends meet… And so it is for life-long friends Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks), who are housemates struggling under a growing mountain of unpaid bills. Whilst changing for a school reunion Miri becomes an unwitting YouTube ‘star’ thanks to flashing her granny pants – underwear so enormous that even Bridget Jones would balk at them – to some mobile phone carrying teens. This gives Zack the inspiration for them to take an ill advised dive into the murky world of adult film production in order to raise some cash. But can the two platonic pals overcome their reticence, ditch their morals and get intimate on camera?
Writer-director Kevin ‘Clerks’ Smith isn’t shy about wallowing in the filth associated with the porno industry and Zack and Miri is certainly not a film for anyone easily offended. The incredibly bawdy and bodily function heavy humour, coupled with non-stop explicit language throughout makes this film offensive enough to traumatise any causal observer but Smith is on a mission here and the result is not what you might be expecting.
If you’re still reading and think that this might be your dirty cup of tea, there is certainly some very funny material here. Smith throws in everything from adult flavour Star Wars parody, marital disharmony / bliss observation and even a poignant sweet tale of true love…
Yes by the end of the movie you may well have been convinced that faithful relationships are definitely the best option in life and that true love is something worth holding out for. It seems that for all his gutter minded ingenuity, Smith has a romantic heart beating which he can’t help wearing on his sleeve. Zack and Miri despite it’s subject matter feels like his attempt to please more people than just his hardcore smut comedy usual fanbase – in a similar vein to Jersey Girl, only this time he hasn’t ditched all the filth.
Seth ‘Superbad’ Rogen is the comedy ‘go-to-guy’ of the moment and he sparkles here creating superb chemistry with the lovely Banks. These are two people you’ll really want to see end up together despite the murky business they get themselves caught up in.
You’ll laugh, you’ll wince and you’ll go home having been roundly disgusted but also amused.


"this isn't strictly come dancing!?"



"low quality acting from talented actors... only in an 'adult' film"

DARKMATTERS RATING SYSTEM (all ratings out of maximum 10 but '-' is bad whereas '+' is good):

Endorphin Stimulation: öööööö (6)
+ A no brainer in every sense of the word

Tasty Action: ööööö (5)
+ Dodgy is the only sort of 'action' on offer here

Gratuitous Babeness: öööööööö (8)
+ Banks is sexy and she has some cute friends too

Mind Blight / Boredom: öööööö (6)
+ Zips along to an unlikely but positive ending

Comedic Value: öööööööö (8)
+ Very funny, but very offensive too

Arbitrary final rating: öööööö (7)
'Hard' to recommend to anyone decent

Liable to make you:
"stay true to the one you love"

DM Poster Quote:
“is that a 'final demand bill' in your pocket?"