I saw the film a couple weeks ago in a pre-screening and I’ve really just been bragging to people that I’ve already seen it when commercials would come on TV or the topic would come up in conversation. The reason being it made me feel like a badass. 401k be damned, I saw Kevin Smith’s new film three weeks before it hit theaters. Take that!

        But when it came to finally writing a review, I didn’t know which direction to take it. Is it funny? Yes. Is it over the top with the porn? No. Not really. There are a couple scenes, including one extremely graphic anal faux pas, but there wasn’t any more simulated sex than you probably see in Nights in Rodanthe or High School Musical 3. Why the American right is so up in arms about it is really a mystery to me, I just feel bad for the sixteen kids in Utah that wanted to see it and can’t because the state banned the film from being shown. Now they’re just gonna go do meth.

        Zak and Miri Make a Porno is the touching tale of two BFFs who work dead end jobs and have done very little with their lives since graduating from high school. When the utilities go out, the two are forced to find a new way to make some extra bank and what better way than pornography? How American.

         If you’ve seen a Kevin Smith film before, you know the themes. Obscenities in excess, gross topics that have nothing to do with the plot, and a dorky overweight guy lands a hot chick who just happens to be his best friend. This film is no different. But what does set it apart is the improv chops that Seth Rogan obviously brought to the set which I’ll go ahead and argue sets it a step or two above some of the other films he’s released.

          I really enjoyed the movie, it was like Kevin Smith takes on a romantic comedy in the same sort of way that Forgetting Sarah Marshall was a Judd Apatow & Company take on the genre. It’s funny, for both genders, and has just the right amount of “aw” to make the ladies happy. Of course, this one has more of an “aw, yeah - that’s the spot”, but talking about sex is healthy for any relationship. Of course if there’s one thing the film taught me, it was that making a porno is not just a healthy part of a relationship – but extremely easy to do.

The Tops:
- Elizabeth Banks is set to be a household name after this. She is gorgeous in it and I have a new crush.
- Justin Long makes the film as a male porn star. He has two scenes, both are ridiculous.

The Bads:
- Ending is a little rushed, and a little too “Kevin Smith” if that makes any sense.
- Randall from Clerks can’t really play any character other than Randall from Clerks.