Zack and Miri Make a Porno

[Just Jeans]

I was hoping for Rosario Dawson, but I guess not so much.

Trio of stars make 'Porno' with Smith (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i76626e51c49f8a0a6f9195ef36cfd4a8)

"Knocked Up" star Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks and Jason Mewes have signed on to star in writer-director Kevin Smith's raunchy new comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" for the Weinstein Co. and Dimension Films.

Producer Scott Mosier's feature casts Rogen and Banks in the title roles, childhood friends who ask their buddies to make a porno to get them out of debt. Soon everyone begins having sex with everyone, leading the previously platonic Zack and Miri to re-evaluate their chaste relationship. Longtime Smith ensemble player Mewes ("Dogma") plays a supporting role.

The film marks the most recent of many films Smith and Mosier have made with Bob and Harvey Weinstein, from their 1994 feature debut "Clerks" to "Chasing Amy" and the recent "Clerks II."

"Getting Seth in this flick is like suddenly growing an extra six inches in the crotch," said Smith, who wrote the role especially for Rogen. "And as if that wasn't awesome enough, we scored the comedically and aesthetically gifted Elizabeth, too. Castwise, I'm now extremely well-hung."

Weinstein Co. execs Michael Cole and Carla Gardini will oversee the project. Cole and Eric Roth negotiated the deal on behalf of the Weinstein Co. and Dimension.

[Kat]

I am a fan of Kevin Smith, so I will check this out.

[Cody]

I was hoping for Rosario Dawson, but I guess not so much.

Rosario opted to do the next Spielberg produced Shia LaBeouf film, Eagle Eye, instead.

Elizabeth Banks is cool (and hot), though, and really happy that Kevin landed Seth Rogen. I'm excited to see their collaboration.

Kevin has the story of pitching the script, writing it for and getting Rogen, and finding Miri on his blog - The Man Who Would Be Zack (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=63831867&blogID=330018583)

[killingvector]

I am a fan of Kevin Smith, so I will check this out.



I am not a fan of Kevin Smith, so I will pass.

[Scarecrow]

This sounds suspiously like a rip-off of I Want Candy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0791309/synopsis) to me...


- Scarecrow

[Cody]

Similar movie comparisons, including "I Want Candy" references, were brought up in a blog (http://silentbobspeaks.com/?p=328) back in June

If you were gonna do that movie-description thing, I’d say it’s like Chasing Amy meets Clerks II, with a dash each of Boogie Nights and Bowfinger tossed in.

Some folks have already said “Sounds like The Girl Next Door…” or “Sounds like The Amateurs…” A few British cats have drawn comparisons to a flick called I Want Candy. I certainly can’t deny that Zack and Miri has nothing in common with said flicks - namely the subject of porn movies; but I can tell you that that’s about where the similarities begin and end, as far as I know.

To be fair, all I know about I Want Candy are the reviews I read recently in Empire and Total Film magazines. And in terms of The Girl Next Door (a film that always occurred to me as more of an homage to Risky Business than the “Let’s-Put-On-A-Show” nature of “dirty movies”), Zack and Miri is about as far removed from the world of slick, professional porn (the domain of Girl Next Door) as can be.

No - the one flick I was sweating was The Amateurs (recently retitled The Moguls) - a flick I hadn’t heard of until I was in the midst of writing Zack and Miri. But as it turns out, Laura Greenlee (our long-time line producer) worked on that flick, and after reading Zack and Miri, she was able to dispel any fear I had on the subject by offering “The only thing they have in common is that non-porn people want to make a porn movie. The circumstances, jokes and characters are completely different.”

I breathed a huge sigh of relief, because the last thing in the world a writer wants to be accused of is cryptomnesia; or worse, flat-out plagiarism ... But just because a film shares a similar theme/storyline with another film, does that mean it shouldn’t be made at all? I don’t think so. And I’m not talking about dueling volcano or asteroid movies here; I mean flicks that immediately invoke other flicks. I’m a firm believer that similar subject matter in different hands still has the potential to be original and fresh. I mean, Chasing Amy - the flick we get the most credit for - was pretty much the same-old, same-old boy meets girl, boy loses girl story with a bit of a different spin. Were I really sweating the fact that that story had been done to death before, I wouldn’t have bothered with Amy - and I’d be all the poorer for it (both figuratively and literally). After centuries of story-telling, there’s always bound to be some familiarity/similarity in books/shows/movies; it’s how each author handles the material that makes all the difference. Just because we’ve seen For Keeps, She’s Having a Baby, and Nine Months doesn’t mean we don’t want to see Knocked Up.

Regardless, I know I’m in for a few months of “That movie sounds like…”, but I’m not sweating it; I’ve read my script (even wrote it) and while it’s preoccupied with dirty movies, I know what it’s really about.

A few projects that just coincidentally happen to have the same basic idea popping up around the same time, I can buy it. It's what happens every time I sit down to write a script lately. (Earlier this year, my brain exploded when, in the midst of writing a script, I stumbled across an independent movie in development that had the same story and title as what I was writing.)

[Cody]

Filming will commence in Pittsburgh and Monroeville, PA next month. The characters are Monroeville residents, I'm hoping they'll swing by the mall (the Monroeville Mall is the Romero Dawn of the Dead mall) at some point.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I'm a big Kevin Smith fan, so i'll definitley check this out.

[Skye]

I can't wait to see this. I love Kevin Smith!

[Lance Lives]

I'm interested in how Smith will react to Rogen's possible ad-libbings. I know that he hates when people go off script, but from Rogen's dvds it seems like that's how he works.

[Cody]

I'm interested in how Smith will react to Rogen's possible ad-libbings. I know that he hates when people go off script, but from Rogen's dvds it seems like that's how he works.

He seems to be open to it with Rogen. Chris Rock and Will Ferrell got some room to work in, I think Rogen will get the same or even more. In one of the e-mails to Seth that he shared in the "The Man Who Would Be Zack" blog, he tells him that he's all for him ad-libbing and pitching jokes while they're shooting.

As for the hope of Zack and Miri stopping by the Monroeville Mall -

Stuntman Mike wrote: Do you think somewhere in the film we'll see the famous mall as sort of a reference to Dawn of the Dead?

Kevin wrote: I do think that, yes.

:D

[Cody]

A cool addition (http://www.newsaskew.com/2008/01/13/labine-joins-porno-cast/) to the cast

Breaking news just in! The hilarious Tyler Labine, who steals scenes on the CW’s “Reaper”, confirms via a posting on the Reaper Facebook page today, he’s been offered and accepted a role in “Zack & Miri Make a Porno”. Labine shoots in February. This hot on the heels of the news from Kevin that tells us there will be SIX new actors and actresses revealed in the trades tomorrow or Tuesday. We’re guessing that Labine’s one of them.
ADDED:
The six cast member announcement won't hit the trades until Wednesday, so Kevin has started a guessing game with their eyes -

http://www.viewaskew.com/kevin/casteyes.jpg

[Cody]

The owners (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i763e2e6c13232488e929cd1fd5139889) of the eyes revealed:

"The Office's" Craig Robinson and former porn star Traci Lords have joined Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks and Jason Mewes in Kevin Smith's "Zack & Miri Make a Porno."

Ricky Mabe (ABC Family's "Beautiful People"), Jeff Anderson ("Clerks II") and Katie Morgan (HBO's "Katie Morgan: A Porn Star Revealed") have also joined the film, which is being produced through The Weinstein Co. and Dimension Films. Production is set to begin Wednesday.

To which I say, fuckin' A. Some nice casting in there.

[The Dream Master]

Jeff Anderson? Nice. I always thought he should get work. I never thought his acting was bad at all.

[Just Jeans]

Jeff Anderson is good as Randal, but I'd like to see him play a different character type. Hopefully, he's not just a Randal clone in this.

[BlakeTyner]

Jeans, check out Anderson's directorial debut (which he also co-stars in) called "Now You Know". It's pretty damn good.

Actually, I think we talked about it before, because the lead actress is the chick that plays Chappelle's girl in the Love Contract skit.

~Blake

[Skye]

Yay, Katie Morgan. I think she's hilarious. (Don't ask how I know who she is, LOL)

[Cody]

There's some Zack & Miri talk in the latest SModcast (http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/category/smodcast/).

Mewes is playing a character named Lester and, as you can hear in the SMod, is doing so with a slight lisp thanks to the major dental work he's in the midst of.

Among the first things they've shot is a "walk and talk" scene with Seth Rogen and Craig Robinson in the Monroeville Mall. The mall was open and they were surrounded by camera phone-wielding teenagers, I'm surprised it's not all over YouTube.

Posts on the VA board confirm that Jimmy Norton from the Opie & Anthony radio show and Kenny Hotz from Kenny vs Spenny have small roles.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

A cool addition (http://www.newsaskew.com/2008/01/13/labine-joins-porno-cast/) to the cast


ADDED:
The six cast member announcement won't hit the trades until Wednesday, so Kevin has started a guessing game with their eyes -

http://www.viewaskew.com/kevin/casteyes.jpg

Katie Morgan is definitely the first one on there, lol.

[Alex DeLarge]

The second one looks like Jerry O'connel and the fourth looks like one of guys on Entourage.

[Cody]

The eyes are - left to right - Katie Morgan, Craig Robinson, Traci Lords, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, and Ricky Mabe.

[Cody]

Another dash of the Romero world - Kevin confirmed that this IMDb cast listing

Tom Savini ... Jenkins

is truth.

[TheShowstoppa]

A little update I found on Ebaumsworld tonight - Kevin Smith decided to make a parody of Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel's "Fucking Matt Damon/Ben Affleck" music videos, so here it is in all of it's glory "I'm Fucking Seth Rogan." http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/217011/

If you haven't seen the originals, Youtube them, cause they're fuckin' hilarious. Silverman's is first and then Kimmel's.

[Cody]

Fun video. A nice prelude to the Money Shots "making of" videos. I can't wait until they start putting them up, the Train Wreck series for Clerks II was great.

My favorite part of "I'm Fucking Seth Rogen" is the "knock knock" bit, because it's fun to see Katie Morgan mingled with mainstream stars. It took me several viewings to realize Jeff Anderson was part of that bit, I didn't recognize him with facial hair.

[CrazyChris187]

mani wil definatley check this i love kevin smits work i own mallrats and clerks 2 need to check ebay and pawn shops for his early works like clerks.but this sounds funny so i will check it out when it hits theatres

[CosmoBubba]

A little update I found on Ebaumsworld tonight - Kevin Smith decided to make a parody of Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel's "Fucking Matt Damon/Ben Affleck" music videos, so here it is in all of it's glory "I'm Fucking Seth Rogan." http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/217011/

If you haven't seen the originals, Youtube them, cause they're fuckin' hilarious. Silverman's is first and then Kimmel's.

Ladies and gentlemen, there's our first special feature for the Zack & Miri DVD. :p

[Cody]

A little update I found on Ebaumsworld tonight - Kevin Smith decided to make a parody of Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel's "Fucking Matt Damon/Ben Affleck" music videos, so here it is in all of it's glory "I'm Fucking Seth Rogan." http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/217011/

According to Kevin, credit for the idea goes to Elizabeth Banks. The video was her pet project, all Kevin added was the strap-on.

For anti-streamers, there are download links at QuickStop (http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2008/02/25/quick-stop-exclusive-im-fing-seth-rogen/).

[Cody]

USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-03-04-porno-title_N.htm)

If the title says 'Porno,' will moviegoers say 'no thanks'?

By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY

MONROEVILLE, Pa. — It sounds like the most dangerous title in movies —Zack & Miri Make a Porno — but in comedy these days, the riskier the better.

Kevin Smith's film, now shooting in western Pennsylvania, stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as broke friends who embrace their desperation by making their own X-rated tape to pay off their debts. In the process, they uncover romantic feelings for each other.

Smith readily acknowledges that having "porno" in the title could turn off some potential viewers.

"We're just hoping that by the time the movie comes out, if the marketing people do their jobs right, it's a word that people will kind of get over," he says.

This is the era in which the nation just spent weeks chattering about Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel's dueling videos about having sex with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. (Banks released her own spoof video about Rogen.) And R-rated films such as Knocked Up (co-starring Rogen), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (co-starring Banks and Rogen) and Superbad are major comedy hits.

Industry analysts say Porno fits right in. "It's one of the best titles of the year," says Jeff Bock, an analyst with movie tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. "It sells the film for exactly what it is." It helps, he notes, that Smith (Clerks, Dogma) has a dependable fan base. "They'll follow him anywhere. I don't think anything is too risqué for Kevin Smith fans."

But that base is somewhat limited; Smith's films tend to gross $20 million to $30 million. (Knocked Up brought in nearly $150 million.) With star-on-the-rise Rogen and the success of Knocked Up, "expectations are up for this particular film," Bock says.

Those behind the film point out that it's more than just a filthy movie (though it's plenty filthy).

"What's weird about it is, it's dirty. But it's so incredibly sweet," Smith says, noting that Porno will be rated R (obviously, there's no actual porn in it). Banks says grown-ups are mature enough for immature jokes. "These kinds of comedies, these sweet and sexy comedies, have all started to push the envelope. This movie takes it even further, that's definitely true. But if you're over 15 years old … you know what sex is, and in comedy you're always trying to find those taboos that you can break for a laugh. Sex in America is a huge one."

And Rogen? For him, there's no safety in safety: "Oh, we are going too far … " He laughs and adds: "The first thing people should think is: 'Are they allowed to do that?' "

Rogen and Banks talk about (http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-03-04-zack-and-miri-dispatches_N.htm) their sex scene concerns.

http://i.usatoday.net/life/_photos/2008/03/05/zack-mirix-large.jpg

[Cody]

Rogen and Banks talk about (http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-03-04-zack-and-miri-dispatches_N.htm) research.

Another picture. (http://www.viewaskew.com/kevin/zam.jpg)

Filming wrapped and Kevin is editing like a madman. The current cut is 2 hours, plus a 4 minute epilogue that's meant to play during the credits.

Right now the release date is set for October 31st.

[Cody]

The final installment in the Rogen/Banks "Dispatches from the set": Life on the set. (http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-03-04-zack-and-miri-dispatches_N.htm)

The latest editing update:

As of 3/29, the flick is now 1 hour, 45 minutes long - eight minutes longer than "Clerks II" but at least five minutes shorter than "Chasing Amy" (once the credits are added in).

This is what we'll test at.

[Cody]

Seth Rogen and Jeff Anderson are
http://www.aintitcool.com/images2007/ZMzombies.jpg

Monroeville Zombies

[Just Jeans]

Every time I see Rogen he looks more unkempt than the last time I saw him. He must be having a contest with Jack Black to see which one can be the most unkempt funny man in Hollywood.

[Cody]

Online teaser is up (Kevin notes that "there's not a frame of footage in the teaser that's actually in the movie"), available for download at Quick Stop (http://www.quickstopent.com), or you can just gander here -

xYm9NuDjgoE

"Nice dick."

Edit: The MPAA made them take the teaser down, but I'm sure it's still out there somewhere.

[Lance Lives]

It's cool to see Anderson again. I really like him, and missed his presence while they were fueding or not talking or whatever. Another hockey scene should be great.

[Deathscythe]

Honestly, my favorite Kevin Smith film is Mallrats.

[Lance Lives]

I love Mallrats, was actually my favorite movie period for a long period of time in my younger days, but I now feel that Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Dogma are all better. I love all of the first four Smith flicks, but despite my love for it, Mallrats kinda falls in the last spot.

[Deathscythe]

Heh

Brody, Segas #1 fan!

[Lance Lives]

Brody is my hero no doubt...Randall and Banky also rule, but Brody is awesome.

[Brett H.]

I like the old helmet he wears and glasses. Right out of Slap Shot or something. Well, besides the helmets.

[Deathscythe]

Brody is my hero no doubt...Randall and Banky also rule, but Brody is awesome.

Yeah, at one point in my life, Jason Lee was my idol.

True story.

[Cody]

After getting an NC-17 a couple times, cutting 12 minutes (not just for rating reasons, Kevin also wanted to trim it down from the test screened cut), and shortening one particular shot to just 14 frames -

Kevin Smith wins appeal for R rating for 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' (http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080806/ENTERTAIN/80806012)

Filmmaker Kevin Smith has won an appeal to lower the rating for his comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" from an adults-only NC-17 to an R.

Motion Picture Association of America spokeswoman Elizabeth Kaltman said Tuesday the rating was revised after the group's appeals board viewed the movie.

"We didn't set out to make an NC-17 film. That's just commercial suicide," Smith told The Associated Press.

The NC-17 rating would have prohibited anyone younger than 17 from seeing it. With an R rating, those under 17 can see it in the company of an adult.

"Zack and Miri," due out Oct. 31 from the Weinstein Co., stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as best friends and roommates who try to make a homemade porn flick to dig themselves out of debt.

Smith said the MPAA ratings board objected to two sex scenes involving co-stars Jason Mewes and Katie Morgan. After the movie's initial NC-17 rating, Smith said he trimmed those scenes as far as he was willing to go but was unable to convince the board to lower the rating.

"They felt it was rather sexually graphic. My point is, it was comically graphic. All the sex in the movie with the exception of one scene is very cartoonish, very campy," Smith said. "It wasn't designed to titillate."

The appeals board, a separate panel from the ratings board, viewed the movie Tuesday, and Smith presented his arguments. It was the third time Smith successfully talked his way down to a lower rating: His 1994 debut "Clerks" initially received an NC-17 rating that was reduced to an R on appeal, while his 2003 film "Jersey Girl" was reduced to PG-13 after first being rated R.

Smith said the title alone should be enough to caution audiences about the contents.

"Anybody not inclined to see a movie with 'Porno' in the title is not going to see it, so it kind of regulates itself to a degree," Smith said. "And anybody who is going is not going to be surprised by what they see."

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I love Mallrats, was actually my favorite movie period for a long period of time in my younger days, but I now feel that Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Dogma are all better. I love all of the first four Smith flicks, but despite my love for it, Mallrats kinda falls in the last spot.

I used to like Mallrats the best when I was younger too. Clerks has been my favorite now for awhile.

[skuppy]

With those cuts, I think I'll just wait for the unrated DVD.

[Lance Lives]

I'm not gonna let a few cuts keep me from seeing this. I can see the Mewes' sex scene on the DVD, but I just enjoy Smith's dialogue. My one fear is that he let too much improvising go on since his was working with Rogen.

[Cody]

AskMen.com (http://www.askmen.com/video/2008_apr/apr02.html) has the new red band trailer. :D
ADDED:
Or bigger and downloadable at IGN Video (http://movies.ign.com/dor/objects/964901/zack-and-miri-make-a-porno/videos/zach_miri_redtrlr_082908.html).

Or 'Tubed

MxR0f47h2Hs

[The Dream Master]

Eh, looks pretty funny I guess. I like Banks a lot, but I've never seen Rogen in anything. I have a feeling that I'd probably be more into it if Jason Lee were playing his role, but I'm checking this out regardless for Mewes and Anderson.

[Cody]

Poster banned in the U.S. (http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/09/kevin-smith-por.html?iid=top25-20080903-Kevin+Smith%27s+Banned%2Din%2Dthe%2DUS+%27Porno%27 +Poster%3A+Exclusive+first+look%21)

You know what's so special about this, the first poster for Kevin Smith's new flick, Zack and Miri Make a Porno (due out October 31st)? It's not that the one-sheet drops just before the movie's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival (which it does), or that Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks look so surprised, or that the chocolate-mint color scheme is making me a little hungry for Friendly's. No, it's that you'll only see this poster in Canada.

Even after winning an appeal to overturn Porno's NC-17 rating, Smith says the MPAA won't give their blessing to the image shown here—which is eyes-only for our neighbors to the north. "When you've got the word 'porno' in the title, naturally, the marketing materials are gonna be scrutinized more closely by the MPAA," says the director. "I understand they've got a job to do, but c'mon...this image isn't that dirty; they're both fully clad."

We can just add this to the long list of things we have Canada to thank for, like William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, and the fittingly monikered Peter North. "I've always loved Canada and Canadians for giving us hockey," says Smith. "Now, I love 'em just a little bit more. For allowing tufts of hair."

http://popwatch.ew.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/09/02/zachmiripornposter_l.jpg

[Just Jeans]

I've seen more explicit posters for Disney films. Nice one, MPAA.

[Jack Bauer]

Come on MPAA lighten up. It's a film about the making of a porno film; You can't expect it not be dirty!

[The 5th Golden Girl]

When is Seth Rogen going to go away is what I want to know.

I've never heard of Elizabeth Banks, but she's very pretty. I thought she was Rachel MacAdams for the majority of the trailer.

[i am SAW]

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/1899/68735205fw6.jpg


TKrE-L9fP04

[Cody]

Trailer: green band version (http://movies.yahoo.com/premieres/9587634/standardformat/)

[Just Jeans]

I've never heard of Elizabeth Banks, but she's very pretty. I thought she was Rachel MacAdams for the majority of the trailer.

She was in Slither, and more recently played a love interest for JD in Scrubs. She also plays Betty Brant in the Spider-Man films.

[Cody]

Ran (http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117938233.html?categoryid=1263&cs=1)dom (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/awards_festivals/fest_reviews/article_display.jsp?JSESSIONID=twcQLGnpShhnYLdxjqh Ks0kcwYyCGRtmTnQybyypkJZT0sv41qMY!2135715977&&rid=11632) rev (http://www.empiremovies.com/movie/zack-and-miri-make-a-porno/19550/review/01)iew (http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=40703) round (http://www.reelviews.net/php_reelthoughts_template.php?identifier=506)- (http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Zack-And-Miri-Make-A-Porno-3338.html)up (http://www.darkhorizons.com/news08/toronto6.php):

(Excerpts with spoilers mostly excised)

The bluntly titled “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” is a cheerfully vulgar love story or a sweet-hearted sex farce, however you want to look at it. Very much of a piece with Kevin Smith’s previous down-and-dirty working-stiff comedies, the raucous humor here also neatly dovetails with the pants-down funny stuff recently popularized by Judd Apatow. That, and the presence of Seth Rogen doing what he does best, bodes well for this MGM/Weinstein offering, which looks to pocket some nice change in fall release and prove a very popular home-viewing title down the line.

If there were any doubt that anyone can make a movie now, “Zack and Miri” dispels it, as the lead characters do it -- and the nasty -- for the sole purpose of making money. Friends since first grade, Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have long lived together in a low-end Pittsburgh house but have never been an item, as that would somehow seem weird.

Smith opens the floodgates for the sex and potty humor at the outset. There’s scarcely a line of dialogue that doesn’t feature the F-word, A-word, one of the C- or P-words or some variant of them, and it isn’t long until you have to either decide that it’s all intolerably stupid or, more likely, succumb to the downright silliness of it and enjoy the overdose. It would be too much to say that what Smith has come up with here is inspired, but it is pretty funny and very energetic. ...

Chemistry between Rogen and Banks is excellent; he bangs out the crude talk with well-practiced, nonchalant expertise, and she’s totally game, throwing it right back at him. Robinson’s deadpan outrage and acceptance of insanity see him neatly underplaying everyone else, and everyone else pitches in to create a nutty group portrait of try-anything common folk.

Dead-of-winter Pittsburgh locations create a sense of ever-present adversity that’s funny in itself; pacing is ultra-snappy, production values what they need to be. A post-fade-out faux promotional video is worth sticking around for.

There is a sweet, romantic side to Kevin Smith, and despite the title of his new film, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," you can sense how much he wants to yield to that side. Yet he simply can't resist wallowing in nonstop gutter talk and adolescent jokes about sex and bodily waste.

When your ears finally grow immune to the raunchy dialogue, the romantic comedy comes into clearer focus. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are enormously appealing as longtime roommates who have no idea they love each other. Yes, it's all hearts and flowers if you just remember to take those anal sex jokes in stride. ...

For a mainstream movie to enter such risky terrain, though, it's surprising how bland the film's two main characters are. True, both adults are stuck in a mode of permanent adolescence for no other reason than Smith seemingly can't write about characters that aren't. But neither seems like a real person.

Yet despite shortcomings and implausibility linked to their roles as written, Rogen and Banks come off with surprising charm and grace.

Dave Klein's cinematography gives polish to the uneven comedy, while Smith's own editing keeps the pace lively.

... What follows is a sweet romantic comedy -- that just happens to involve porn. ... And, as a romantic comedy, it's probably one of the better ones I've seen in the last few years, if only for the fact that it is so atypical. At it's heart, the movie tells the story of a couple of friends who, when difficult times call for difficult measures, discover love. So what if the wheel of love is greased with a little anal lube?

Benefiting the movie are heartfelt performances by Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.

I'm not going to say that the movie didn't have it's faults. Porn is fine in the context of the story, but I felt the movie crossed the line with the "shit" joke. Although it got the biggest laugh in the whole movie, it was unnecessary. At least in this particular Kevin Smith film. Sex jokes good. Potty jokes bad.

The bottom line is that that, in teaming with Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Smith has delivered a hit with "Zack and Miri Make a Porno".

Kevin Smith is back and Seth Rogen's got 'em. Or at least that's how the ad copy should read for Smith's libidinous rom-com, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. While Elizabeth Banks is ostensibly knocking about the premises as Rogen's unexpected love interest, it is the cozy marriage of sensibilities between the director of Clerks and the co-writer/star of Superbad that gives this movie its particular go-for-the-groin, land-on-the-heart chemistry.

Smith has fashioned a smut-happy comedy that fits his game leading man like a prophylactic. If the raucous reception from younger press types at a Toronto screening is any indication, this R-rated comedy should provide an irresistible lure for audiences above and below the age requirement for parental accompaniment.

... The romantic inevitability of beleaguered twosome pushes the film closer to the machinations of Chasing Amy than any of Smith's earlier works. But where that film made provocatively self-reflective hay out of its protagonist's sexual journey, Zack and Miri is content to go for more in-your-face humour (which literally describes the film's most outrageous stunt).

The effectiveness of Smith's baldest jests cannot cover up the odor of déjà vu that hovers over much of the porn-set parody: fonder memories of The Full Monty, and Boogie Nights come to mind.

One imagines, however, that the movie memory of the folks who will catapult Smith's newest to instant-hit status doesn't extend as far back as any of the above-mentioned films. It would not besmirch the New Jersey-born auteur to claim that Zack and Miri Make A Porno, much like its wayward lead characters, gets the job done.

An interesting synergy exists between Judd Apatow and Kevin Smith. With films like Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy, Smith opened a door that, only about 10 years later, Apatow walked through. Now, with Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Smith has fully and unabashedly followed Apatow into this territory that he once owned, completing the circle. In fact, so many Apatow signatures can be found in this film that it makes on appreciate how much these two have in common. There's the full-frontal male nudity, the romantic comedy subtext, and (perhaps most tellingly) the participation of Elizabeth Banks (who played the vixen in The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Seth Rogen, one of Apatow's best pals.

... For two-thirds of its running length, Zack and Miri is vintage Smith - profane humor that knows no boundaries and obeys no rules. What's most amazing about Smith's barrage of hard-R jokes isn't the range of subjects he covers, but how few of them "miss." If 50% of the material in any comedy generates laughter, that movie is an unqualified success. Smith is well over the 50% mark here, provided this is your kind of comedy. There is a portion of the audience that might be shocked and appalled, although it's hard to imagine members of that demographic attending a movie with the title Zack and Miri Make a Porno. As far as truth in advertising goes, viewers pretty much know going in that this isn't going to be a sweet family values-oriented motion picture.

The "romantic" aspect of the "romantic comedy" doesn't work as well as the "comedy" portion. ... By the time it shows up in full force, it has a tacked-on feel and some of its elements represent standard genre clichés. In fact - and Kevin Smith probably doesn't want to hear this comparison - there's a lot of When Harry Met Sally in the final act of Zack and Miri (although things seem a little more rushed). In his romantic comedies, Judd Apatow has managed to drum the viewers' heartstrings. Smith isn't as adept in that arena but, while the romance may not be the most magical to reach the screen, most viewers will be laughing so hard they won't care.

With the casting of Seth Rogen as his lead, I’ve heard people attempt to dismiss Zack and Miri Make a Porno as writer/director Kevin Smith’s attempt to be Judd Apatow. I can’t think of anything more spectacularly unfair. Kevin Smith was pulling off raunchy humor with a heart of gold long before we’d even heard the name Apatow, he’s just never gotten the same kind credit for it. If anything, that’s probably because Kevin is often less interested in the heavy dramatic elements Apatow uses to win critics and audiences over. Smith is, self-admittedly, into dick jokes. Usually there’s a touch of dramatic sweetness mixed in, especially in some of his more poignant, focused movies like Clerks II and Chasing Amy, but more often than not he’s there for a laugh, the dirtier the better.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno is the ultimate embodiment of Kevin Smith's cock = comedy philosophy. It's pure comedy. In the age of internet voyeurism, the story of two average nobodies making pornography happens all across America on a daily basis, but unless they’re shooting a sequel to two girls one cup, it’s almost certainly never this dirty and definitely never this funny.

... For better or worse though, Zack and Miri’s relationship remains the center of Zack and Miri. For me, the film lags a little when it spends time exploring their softer sides and it soars when we stop worrying about how Zack and Miri are feeling, instead getting down to the business of letting their friends attempt to shoot porno. ... It’s just that Zack and Miri Make a Porno is at its most consistent when it’s more “Make a Porno” and less “Zack and Miri”.

Kevin Smith is known for his smart, edgy dialogue and there’s plenty of his brilliant, wordy style on display in Zack and Miri. He’s combined that with a great cast, maybe the most talented he’s ever worked with, and the result is one of Smith’s funniest, dirtiest, most gleefully offensive movies to date.

Iconic director Kevin Smith returns behind the feature film camera for the first time since Clerks II in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and this could be his best film in a decade.

... Smith's latest script crackles with verbal and visual hilarity, taking risks in some areas, yet showing his sensitive side as well. In essence, Zack and Miri is a film about relationships, sex, love, the way we depend on each other, and amidst the film's often raw, unbridled comedy, this is a very emotive love story.

While some fans of the writer/director may not really approve of this sensitive filmmaker, it would be somewhat weary to have a film full of visual and verbal sexual humour, without it ever attaining an emotional core, and Zack and Miri achieves that to sublime perfection.

Rogen is perfectly cast as Zack, but it's the luminous Ms Banks who brings an earthy reality to the piece. She is beautiful to watch and delivers a finely nuanced performance. ...

Ferociously sexual, hilarious and quite moving, Zack and Miri Make a Porno is wonderfully entertaining and marks a return to a gifted director.

Post-screening Q&A: Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxm3MvOwf44) and Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaXHfr-2AYw)

[Lance Lives]

I'm hoping this is a return to Chasing Amy form, but I fear the over the top visual gags. That's not really what I look for in Smith comedy.

[Cody]

The U.S. poster (http://www.viewaskew.com/kevin/zamposter.jpg)

Beautiful. :sniffle:

[Just Jeans]

If that's just a joke on the part of Kevin and it's not really the poster, it should be. It fits in with Smith's sense of humor, that's for sure.

[i am SAW]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/15/porno.film.ads.blocked.ap/index.html

'Porno' proves too risque for some ads

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/15/porno.film.ads.blocked.ap/art.porno.ads.ap.jpg

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Kevin Smith made a movie with such a bothersome title he cannot even place ads for it in some places.

Some newspaper, TV and outdoor ads for Smith's comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" have been rejected because of their content or the five-letter word that ends the title, said Gary Faber, head of marketing for the Weinstein Co., which is releasing the film.

Among those refusing to carry ads are about 15 newspapers and several TV stations and cable channels, Faber said. Commercials for the film during Los Angeles Dodgers games on Fox Sports were dropped at the team's request after some viewers complained, said Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch.

One complaint came from a man watching a game in September with his young son, who did not understand a suicide-squeeze bunt the Dodgers tried, Rawitch said.

"He was explaining to his son what a squeeze bunt was. Commercial break, the ad comes on, and the kid asks, `Dad, what does porno mean?"' Rawitch said. "Dodgers baseball has always been about family, and we've always been sensitive to the type of advertising that runs on our games."

The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, refused "Zack and Miri" posters at bus stops. Similar posters at Boston, Massachusetts, bus stops have drawn complaints from a child-development expert who said they are inappropriate for children.

Smith found it ironic that the posters have been a problem. Some playfully risque ads with images of "Zack and Miri" stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks were forbidden by the Motion Picture Association of America, which called the ads "highly sexually suggestive and not suitable for general audiences."

So Weinstein came up with posters using stick figures to represent the actors.

"The whole idea was, our hands were so tied on all previous entries we'd given them that this ad was meant to be the innocuous one that would get approved everywhere," Smith said.

Rina Cutler, Philadelphia deputy mayor for transportation, said the stick-figure posters were cute and clever but unacceptable for bus shelters where schoolchildren would see the word "porno."

"If they want to call the movie `Zack and Miri,' that's fine, but Zack and Miri cannot make a porno on my bus shelters," Cutler said.

Opening October 31, "Zack and Miri" features Rogen and Banks as platonic best buddies and roommates who decide to make their own skin flick to dig themselves out of debt.

Diane Levin, an education professor specializing in child development at Boston's Wheelock College, said the posters at city bus stops send a message to children that working in the porn industry is an acceptable occupation.

"It's drawing attention to a movie which is mainstreaming and normalizing pornography, saying if you need money, this is what you do," said Levin, co-author of "So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids."

The stick-figure images are especially appealing to youngsters, since "stick figures are something for children," she said.

Weinstein marketing boss Faber countered: "It's a comedy. It's a joke. We're not advertising a porno. It's not a porno. The word `porno,' it's not supposed to turn you on. It's supposed to make you laugh."

The ratings board of the MPAA initially slapped "Zack and Miri" with an NC-17 rating, a box-office kiss of death because audiences view such films as explicit adult-only flicks. Smith appealed and talked the film down to an R rating.

Faber said the company has been able to place its ads in most of the outlets it has approached. For newspapers that rejected them because of the word "porno," Weinstein might play around with variations that exclude the title, he said.

The company developed a version of the stick-figure poster without the film's name, bearing the slogan, "Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks made a movie so outrageous that we can't even tell you the title."

[CosmoBubba]

Well, that was to be expected. You'd think that Smith would have shortened the title to simply "Zack & Miri," just to avoid this kind of thing.

[Alex DeLarge]

Well, that was to be expected. You'd think that Smith would have shortened the title to simply "Zack & Miri," just to avoid this kind of thing.

Yeah, but it also gets it a LOT of publicity.

[TheShowstoppa]

Which was the reason why he went and did that. Personally, I think there's nothing wrong with the title considering that South Park's movie made and obviously grotesque penis joke in their title. People are just too conservative. Step out of the shadows guys, it's time to grow up a little. If you don't know what it is or your children don't know either, trust me, they will soon enough. :)

[Cody]

I was greatly entertained. The porno cast and crew were a fun ensemble of characters, Craig Robinson was particularly hilarious, and there are some great "guest stars". As much as I love Rosario Dawson and wanted her to take the role that was written for her, after seeing the movie I'm glad she didn't. I think it'd be too close to her Clerks II role, and it would mean no Elizabeth Banks, who I loved in this.

Romero fanboy section: The Monroeville setting and all its subtle Dawn of the Dead-ness appealed directly to me, as it was fun to see the mall scenes and know exactly where they were in and around it. In addition to the Dawn bits previously mentioned in the thread, there's a "blink and you'll miss it" (or "don't know what he looks like now and miss it") appearance by David Early during the audition sequence. He was the host of the talk show at the beginning of Dawn.
ADDED:
By the way - stick around through the credits. There's a bonus in there.

[CosmoBubba]

Was it just me, or did the movie come across as Kevin Smith doing his best Judd Apatow impersonation? If I didn't already know Smith was the writer/director, I'd have never guessed it. That aside, I thought the movie was hilarious. I can't praise it enough.

And I'll admit that I'd go see a whole movie with just the characters played by Justin Long and Brandon Routh. They were fantastic.

[Just Jeans]

I've heard people comparing this to a Judd Apatow film since it went into production. I'm sort of glad I've never seen a Judd Apatow film, that way I won't be comparing Zack and Miri to his work while seeing it for the first time.

[Cody]

He used a lot of the Apatow troupe in this one, but I disagree with the impression accusations largely because I think Kevin Smith was "doing Judd Apatow" - or dirty with heart - years before Judd Apatow was doing it.

I think Zack & Miri is just as Smith as any of his previous movies.

[The Dream Master]

I forgot all about this. I might check it out tomorrow or Monday.

[Skye]

BEST. MOVIE. EVAR.

And seeing Mewes' dick made it 50X's better. :X

[Esten]

I watched the previews for this, and I thought to myself "Bubbles looks alot like Traci Lords.". Turns out that actually is her. @_@

[SlasherFreak]

An interesting observation.

Only on late night TV spots they call it "Zack and Miri Make A Porno".

I heard nothing but good things about this movie...ill go watch it probably this weekend.

[TheShowstoppa]

Nope... They use the whole line for the title when I've seen spots on ABC, CBS, ESPN, and CNN. Folks aren't shying away from it. I hope it hit number 1 though.

[Chex]

I'm sort of glad I've never seen a Judd Apatow film, that way I won't be comparing Zack and Miri to his work while seeing it for the first time.

You've never seen any of his stuff at all?

Heavyweights (writer/producer)
Cable Guy (producer)
Anchorman (producer)
The Critic (writer/producer)
The Ben Stiller Show (writer/producer)
Freaks and Geeks (writer/producer/director)

Given that the last three are TV shows, I'm surprised someone didn't watch the classic Heavyweights as a kid. I thought it was a requirement to see Ben Stiller acting in a role where he's all about the exercising long before he played a similar role in Dodgeball.

[Just Jeans]

I've looked through Apatow's filmography. The only things I've seen that he's been involved in are Cable Guy and The Critic. I've not seen any of the recent stuff that he's become so popular for.

[Skye]

He wrote Heavyweights?

I loved that movie as a kid.

I think I might go see Zack & Miri again.

[SaturdayThe14th]

I remember when i saw Dodgeball, all i could think of was Ben Stiller in Heavyweights... The Critic was hilarious i loved that show, i had no idea Apatow was involved but that makes me like him all the more
ADDED:
and how has anyone not seen the 40 year old virgin, knocked up, or superbad... those are 3 of the funniest movies to come out in the past 5 years.. 40 year old virgin might be the funniest movie ever!

[Cody]

I think there were would be much less cries of "Apatow" had Kevin's original casting ideas gone through - Rosario Dawson as Miri, Earthquake (Wanda Sykes' husband in the Clerks II racism scene) as Delaney. Rogen suggested Elizabeth Banks and Craig Robinson... and it worked out perfectly for the film.

Beyond Apatow actors, as said, it's Smith city. And kind of a porno spin on the events that began his career - friends making a movie in their place of employment after closing.

[Alex DeLarge]

I think there were would be much less cries of "Apatow" had Kevin's original casting ideas gone through - Rosario Dawson as Miri, Earthquake (Wanda Sykes' husband in the Clerks II racism scene) as Delaney. Rogen suggested Elizabeth Banks and Craig Robinson... and it worked out perfectly for the film.

Beyond Apatow actors, as said, it's Smith city. And kind of a porno spin on the events that began his career - friends making a movie in their place of employment after closing.

Yeah, I definitely noticed that aspect. Especially when they put up the curtains to conceal the time of night.

[Spook]

He used a lot of the Apatow troupe in this one, but I disagree with the impression accusations largely because I think Kevin Smith was "doing Judd Apatow" - or dirty with heart - years before Judd Apatow was doing it.

I think Zack & Miri is just as Smith as any of his previous movies.

I agree with this. I've seen a lot of "Smith is trying to be Apatow" talk, and it kind of pisses me off. Apatow really didn't get big until 40 Year-Old Virgin. Smith was around a good 10 years before that, doing the same thing, just a little more vulgar. I will pick Smith over Apatow any day. With a Smith movie, I am constantly laughing throughout most of it. With Apatow, there's some good laughs here and there, but sometimes he gets boring, IMO.

With that said, this was one really fucking funny movie. I hope Smith gets Red State greenlit as his next film.

[Alex DeLarge]

The use of the store security camera also reminds me of "Randall's Real World" from Clerks: The Animated Series.

[Skye]

The use of the store security camera also reminds me of "Randall's Real World" from Clerks: The Animated Series.

Haha, yeah. That was awesome.

And it looked to me like Katie Morgan's boobs were bigger since I last saw her in something. She must've gotten more implants.

Hey, don't judge my pr0n habits, you pervy bastards. :X

[i am SAW]

saw this last night, fucking hilarious. you can't help but compare it to a Judd Apatow movie. when you see Seth Rogen the first thing you think is Judd Apatow. then you have Craig Robinson from a few Apatow movies. plus this movie had a dick shot. did any of Kevin Smith's other movies have dick shots? Judd Apatow has 2 movies with dicks shots (Walk Hard, Forgetting Sara Marshall). i'm not saying Judd Apatow invented dick shots, but it seems a little fishy Smith would use one now, it felt like he was trying to one-up Apatow. all comparisons aside, this movie is a winner, funny from beginning to end. Justin Long's character was hilarious, and i've never thought he was funny before. too many quotables in this movie to remember. "shut your mouth before i fuck it".

[Skye]

saw this last night, fucking hilarious. you can't help but compare it to a Judd Apatow movie. when you see Seth Rogen the first thing you think is Judd Apatow. then you have Craig Robinson from a few Apatow movies. plus this movie had a dick shot. did any of Kevin Smith's other movies have dick shots? Judd Apatow has 2 movies with dicks shots (Walk Hard, Forgetting Sara Marshall). i'm not saying Judd Apatow invented dick shots, but it seems a little fishy Smith would use one now, it felt like he was trying to one-up Apatow. all comparisons aside, this movie is a winner, funny from beginning to end. Justin Long's character was hilarious, and i've never thought he was funny before. too many quotables in this movie to remember. "shut your mouth before i fuck it".

In Clerks 2 Mewes had the 'tucked back' thing going on... and I read somewhere Mewes likes to roam around naked, so Kevin probably just let him have his way in this one.

[CosmoBubba]

And there was also the clip of Mewes showing off the fruit basket as an Easter egg on the Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back DVD.

[Just Jeans]

plus this movie had a dick shot. did any of Kevin Smith's other movies have dick shots?

It's a film based around the concept of friends making porn. Surely it's a more appropriate film for featuring a dick shot than say, for example, Dogma?

[i am SAW]

it seems a little late for this, but they made a new poster,

http://www.impawards.com/2008/zack_and_miri_make_a_porno_ver4.html

[Skye]

Actually, I think that was a fan-made poster that Kevin liked.

[Rick]

Great movie. I enjoyed this more then any of his others.
Very foul mouthed, more then any of Smith's others.
It's a foul mouthed movie with heart I guess you'd say. I never thought I'd see a movie where one character pours his heart out to the other who's taking a shit.

[Just Jeans]

Best friend took me to see this tonight. I'm too tired to write up any sort of proper review, but I'll just say that I really enjoyed it. In fact, I spent the last 25 minutes of the movie with my bladder on the verge of bursting because I refused to walk out (I did, however, walk out as the credits began, so I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there was a scene afterward).

I think I like this more than Clerks II, but I'll have to see it again before I decide. I was initially bummed that they didn't get Rosario Dawson to play Miri, but I think Elizabeth Banks really nailed it. She was absolutely pitch perfect in every scene, and she was really gorgeous to boot.

As much as I liked it, after I got home I had a good think about the film and found myself getting depressed. I can't even begin to speculate as to why that is. :confused:

Very foul mouthed, more then any of Smith's others.

I thought it seemed less foul mouthed than Clerks. :X

[Cody]

(I did, however, walk out as the credits began, so I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there was a scene afterward).

In the middle of the credits there's a couple minute long infomercial for the "Zack and Miri Make Your Porno" couples aid service. Justin Long and Brandon Routh's characters are the satisfied customers giving a testimonial.

[Geomonic]

Finally got to check this out last night, and I must say I really enjoyed it.
It did have the Judd Apatow-factor in it, which I guess it would do seeing as half the cast have appeared in his films. However it didn't really matter; and having Mewes in the film letf Smith's stamp on it anyway.
The gross-out moments had me in stitches too, as they weren't as frequent as I imagined they would be. Also have to say I loved seeing Tom Savini in his little cameo, made me smile.:)

Not too happy about the ending however, it just seemed a little too obvious for my liking; but then at the same time I don't know how else the film could of ended. I just would have liked something a little more surprising.

However, minor gripes aside, this film was fantastic. I will be check it out on DVD fo' sho'.

[Just Jeans]

It figures I'd leave right before my favorite character (Justin Long) in the film makes a return.

Not too happy about the ending however, it just seemed a little too obvious for my liking; but then at the same time I don't know how else the film could of ended. I just would have liked something a little more surprising.

I was happy enough with the ending, despite feeling as though it was extremely obvious. But how else could it have really ended? I mean, if the film had kept them apart, it would have felt like a poor man's Chasing Amy.

[Geomonic]

I was happy enough with the ending, despite feeling as though it was extremely obvious. But how else could it have really ended? I mean, if the film had kept them apart, it would have felt like a poor man's Chasing Amy.

And then we'd have complaints that Smith is rehashing his old films, as well as 'copying' Apatow. We can't win!

It wasn't really that I didn't like the direction the ending took, it was obvious from about halfway through the film that Zack and Miri were gonna declare their undying love for eachother.

It's just the way that when Zack came back and Saw Miri in the toilet, they had a big conversation about their love for eachother. That was ok, but then when the conversation was over it was just like "Oh, ok let's fuck then". It just seemed that after everything the pair had been through, the way they just 'got it on' at the end cheapened it somewhat. I wanted to see some Sleepless in Seattle/You've Got Mail shit!

However, the film was about the production of a porn film so I don't know who I'm kidding.

[Just Jeans]

it was obvious from about halfway through the film that Zack and Miri were gonna declare their undying love for eachother.

That was obvious to me as early as when I was purchasing my ticket. :X I pretty much always saw it coming.

However, the film was about the production of a porn film so I don't know who I'm kidding.

I actually felt like the porno stuff was secondary to everything else rather than the focus. The production of a porn flick was little more than a complex McGuffin designed to drive forward Zack and Miri's relationship.

[Geomonic]

I actually felt like the porno stuff was secondary to everything else rather than the focus. The production of a porn flick was little more than a complex McGuffin designed to drive forward Zack and Miri's relationship.

I know what you mean and I agree, hence why I hold the film in such high regard. It seemed a lot more wholesome than the gross-out comedies we see in cinema these days, which in turn made it funnier and had me rooting for the lead characters a lot more than American Pie and other films that deal with sex as a main plot point.

However I just feel if there had been more left to the imagination at the end it would have been more inkeeping with the relationship I expected Zack and Miri to have; rather than "Let us fuck" being shouted by Zack which I felt took away part of the 'innocence' the pairs blossoming relationship had.

[Just Jeans]

And it looked to me like Katie Morgan's boobs were bigger since I last saw her in something.

They look about the same to me.

Not that I'm vastly familiar with her prior works or anything. :shifty:

Actually, I think that was a fan-made poster that Kevin liked.

Nah, it's an official theatrical poster (http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/only-kevin-smith-can-make-a-porno-this-cute.php). I'm pretty sure it's the one they had at my cinema.
ADDED:
Incidentally, I just have to say that it's a crime that Live's Hold Me Up was excluded from the film's soundtrack. The song is used over my favorite scene in the film -- the way Zack and Miri are completely in their own little world while making love for the first time took me back to when I first made love; it was a very bitter sweet moment of nostalgia -- so it's somewhat disheartening to learn that the song has never been released commercially. WTF? :duh:

[jasonlives13]

So is this worth a watch?

[Rick]

Definately.
If you like Smith's films and/or you like Rogan's films see it.

[Scarecrow]

I've come to really like seth Rogen since watching the series "Freaks and Geeks" and with the Smith angle veyr keen to see this now.


- Scarecrow

[jasonlives13]

I think I'll defintely check it out

[Just Jeans]

I was going to go see this again with my brother tonight -- he's not seen it yet and wants to -- but every theater in Longview dropped it on Friday night. It was replaced by Twilight. :meh: There's not a cinema within 50 miles showing it now.

[God of Thunder]

I saw it last night. It was fucking HYSTERICAL!!!! Oh man, that's easily the funniest movie I've seen in a while. I'm thinking of going to see it again Monday too.

The opening "You little bstard!" bit was one of my favorite parts. That was a great way to open a movie.

[Psychoticninja]

Ok, to be honest this movie was really good. It WOULD'VE been great if it wasn't for the ending. The plot, the jokes, the actors, everything was going really good, i was getting into the show, then when the credits came up, i was like, WHAT? ITS OVER?:doh:
Maybe i was expecting too much, but it felt like an amusment park ride that just stopped abruptly. I don't know, i guess i was expecting to see how the porno turned out or to see if it would've made money or something. And even though we ALL saw what was going to happen a mile away, i really didn't expect the movie to stop RIGHT THERE :confused:.

Go figure, i guess, but yeah it was a very good movie yes, just not great.

Ok, look at it like the 40 year old virgin, if the movie just stopped when Andy ran down Trish and admitted he was a virgin and they hugged, then that would've been abrupt. But, we got to see them get married and a little musical at the end, that made sense. With Zack & Miri, it just STOPPED! :eek: Lol, sorry for the ranting, but its just how i felt about it

[Alex DeLarge]

Did you watch through the credits? I still believe it was a mistake for Kevin Smith to put it in the middle of the credits, because YES, there was an epilogue explaining what happened to everyone. It's hilarious as well.

[Just Jeans]

I don't know, i guess i was expecting to see how the porno turned out or to see if it would've made money or something.

It seems that you, like me, failed to wait until midway through the credits before getting up and leaving. :X

[Psychoticninja]

CURSES! Me and my inabilitiy to wait! And i really didn't know that did happen, my bad...... *goes back to get movie to watch*....

DAMN YOU KEVIN SMITH!!! DAMN YOU!!!

[Skye]

I sit through each & every movie I watch all the way through the credits... simply because of that fact.

And the fact that KS always puts "Jay & Silent Bob will return in..." at the end of the credits.

[Just Jeans]

I usually sit through the credits as well, but by that point my bladder was on the verge of rupture and I simply couldn't wait any longer. It was everything I could do not to get up and walk out before the credits.

[Just Jeans]

There's no sort of release date information, but Amazon.com has got this up:

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/ZackandMiri.jpg

I was hoping they'd use the fairytale-themed, hand-drawn poster for the cover art.

Anyhoo, while I'm not entirely sure I'm prepared to see a freshly shorn Seth Rogen in 1080p HD, I shall be buying this as soon as it has released.

[The Dream Master]

DVDaf says February 10th is the release date. They're generally very accurate.

I need to pick this one up. Clerks II was on Showtime earlier tonight, and it reminded me that I didn't see this theatrically, even though I intended to do so.

[jasonlives13]

I still havent seen this, man I thought I would of by now

[nottidelterrore]

Although I cannot stand Seth Rogen, I really want to give this a watch when it comes out on DVD. A Kevin Smith movie set in Monroeville that also has Jeff Anderson, Elizabeth Banks, Tom Savini & Jason Mewes in it has me sold. That & it does sound funny.

[Cody]

In some stores, Wal-Mart for one, the title on the DVD/Blu-ray covers will just be "Zack and Miri".

Extras (cobbled from Kevin posts on his board):

- 43 Deleted scenes (totaling 95 minutes)
- 22 Money Shots Webisodes (50 minutes)
- Feature-length documentary, Popcorn Porn: Watching Zack & Miri Make A Porno (75 minutes)
- Comic-con Panel 2008 (23 minutes)
- Gang-bang: Outtakes & Bloopers (13 minutes)
- Seth vs. Justin: Battle for Improvisational Supremacy (8 minutes)

The extra feature - Seth vs. Justin: Battle for Improvisational Supremacy (8 minutes) is only one of two parts. Due to Weinstein Co's exclusive deal with Blockbuster, there's a Blockbuster-Exclusive Extra Feature called "Seth vs. Justin: Battle for Improvisational Supremacy Pt. 2." So if you're a BlockBuster cat, there's that.

Naturally, the studio would've preferred a commentary track. But any commentary track we would've recorded from 11/1 on wasn't gonna be the commentary track that got onto the DVD.

Let me put it this way: let's say you financed a movie. And while you didn't knock it out of the park in the marketing department, you tried your best - or, at least, believe you had good intentions. Would you really want to have (as a permanent record of the film you always wanted to do well by) a nearly two hour audio screed from the stars, the director and producer in regards to their shock and disappointment over how the film's theatrical release was handled?

Apparently a commentary will be recorded as a SModcast (http://quickstopentertainment.com/smodcast/) episode.

[TheShowstoppa]

They did the SModcast for Clerks 2 in reference to Rosario's commentary that was not released on the DVD. I still have yet to listen to it. However, I cannot wait to see these extras and all the other shit that comes along with it. Now I wish I had stayed to see the credits roll past so I could see just what was at the end.

[Brett H.]

Hey Canadians, Alliance is fucking us over and now we have to wait until February 17 to get Zack and Miri on Blu-ray! Fucking awesome!

On the flipside, Canada will have "Make a Porno" on all of our discs and the slipcover for the DVD/Blu (?) is supposed to have some sort of weird scratch and sniff condom thing on it. If I buy new movies I usually get my mom to grab them for me when she's at Wal-mart because I hate to go shopping and don't have much patience for two 40 year old whores standing in the middle of an aisle talking with 4 carts and 18 kids taking up space when I'm trying to get in and out and buy shit.

[Rick]

I noticed the Canadian Wal-mart flyer had the title as Zack and Miri, but the actual picture of the DVD cover says Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
Apparently Wal-Marts in the U.S. are taking "make a porno" out of the title, but the Canadian stores are keeping it in.

[Cody]

the slipcover for the DVD/Blu (?) is supposed to have some sort of weird scratch and sniff condom thing on it.

:eek:

I'm always getting thrown out of the pharmacy for sniffing the condoms. That slipcover could be just what I need.

[i am SAW]

i picked this up and was shocked to see there's no unrated version. really?? i guess they got away with all the nudity in the R version they didn't need an unrated.

[Skye]

Due to Weinstein's contract with Blockbuster, Blockbuster has an "special edition" version with an extra making-of on it.

[CanadianFonzie]

so I finally saw this movie, and HOLY SHIT did I love it! Seth Rogen really has yet to truly disappoint me...Knocked Up is the closest thing to a disappointment with him

"use the water from the toilet" "...there's poo in there" HAHA

[Jimmy Conway]

I've been a Kevin Smith fan since 1995 or so, but I really found my interest in his newer films to kind of lack thereof.

I watched this last weekend and really enjoyed the first half, but there was a point that it seems Smith just gave up on the ending. It has it's funny parts, but is completely predictable and overtly sappy at the end.

[Brett H.]

Yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of Zack & Miri, either, to my surprise. Usually I am on Smith's level, but this time I just thought the whole thing was unimaginative and predictable. Hard to believe the guy who did Clerks II did this. Seth Rogen in tow. Still worth owning, but by far his least film, I think.

[CanadianFonzie]

see that's where I differ, I'm not a Kevin Smith fan (though I'm not saying the guy makes bad films) but I am a huge Seth Rogen fan, which is why this movie had nothing wrong for me

[Rick]

I'm more of a Kevin Smith fan then I am a Rogan fan I guess.
This movie getting a little sappy at the end was neither surprising nor disappointing to me.
It was a very basic love story, just packaged in a very filthy wrapper.

[i am SAW]

misleading title? they never actually made a porno movie. they had a couple scenes done, then never finished it. they should have called it Zack And Miri Make Half A Porno That Never Gets Released, or Granny Panties.

[Rick]

Eventually it was released, they then start their company "Zach and Miri Make Your Porno" seen part way through the credits.
I guess it could have been titled "Zach and Miri start to make a Porno" or "Zach and Miri begin Production on a Porno."

[CanadianFonzie]

man there was something midway through the credits? damn I missed it

but haha, Granny Panties

[Rick]

man there was something midway through the credits? damn I missed it

but haha, Granny Panties

Yah, the credits stop part way through and an commercial type deal starts. Basically Nigga Rich Productions (what Delany named the business since he was producer) has finished and distributed the porno they were making in the movie, "Drink My Cockaccino" if I remember correctly. It shows that they eventually did make Star Whores and a bunch of sequels and now they have a business where their company will come into your home and produce your home porno flick.

[CanadianFonzie]

I smell a sequel:p lol!

[The Tall Man]

I didn't like this at all. As I was watching it, I kept wondering "Why did Smith feel the need to make this film?" It wasn't funny, it was pretty dull, very crass. Easily Smith's worst movie since "Chasing Amy".

T.M., Esq.

[The Dream Master]

So I take it you didn't take too kindly to Randal getting frosted like a cake? :shyface:

LET US FUCK

[Brett H.]

Let's fuck on these beans!

[The Dream Master]

I'm gonna fuck you with my pecker!

[The Tall Man]

I actually was out of the room at that part. I wandered into the ready room to do something that grabbed my attention. I heard from the TV Randall talking about getting frosted like a cake. No clue what he was talking about.

I did enjoy Jason Mewes in it, though.

T.M., Esq.

[The Dream Master]

Good god, if you thought this was crass WITHOUT seeing that scene... :o

[The Tall Man]

I was gonna give it another try, but now I don't know...

T.M., Esq.

[Voorheeszilla]

This movie is utterly hilarious, I love it. Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Craig Robinson....this film is full of too many hilarious people for me not to love it. I'd say it's probably one of my all time favorite comedies. Haven't viewed it in a while, probably will sometime soon though. :D

[Darth Sinister]

I laughed my balls off when I saw this, last year. What's really shocking is that the public library has this to check out.

[Kat]

Honestly, I liked it... but I am not a Seth Rogan fan. I would have enjoyed it more had someone else been in that role.

[Voorheeszilla]

I laughed my balls off when I saw this, last year. What's really shocking is that the public library has this to check out.

Wow, that is shocking. Of all films, this is one I'd never think a public library would have being available for check out. :eek:

[Kat]

Wow, that is shocking. Of all films, this is one I'd never think a public library would have being available for check out. :eek:

The Library here has tons of movies you wouldn't think would be in a library.

Clerks.
Mallrats
Halloween
Exorcist

and a whole bunch of R rated films.

[Voorheeszilla]

Interesting, never seen that kind of selection at my library back when I actually went.

[DD77]

Finally saw this. It was ok. No tits from the lead was lame. Never hire an actress who won't show her tits and write your way out of it, when the plot involves porn.

I kinda wish the star whores thing happened.

[Voorheeszilla]

Actually, Banks was willing to show her tits, but it was Kevin Smith who made the call not to show them. This is all said on the making of documentary of the film.

[DD77]

Wat the fuck , say it ain't so. Set them titties free Tons of Fun.

[Darth Sinister]

The Library here has tons of movies you wouldn't think would be in a library.

Clerks.
Mallrats
Halloween
Exorcist

and a whole bunch of R rated films.

R rated films aren't surprising, but one about porn with extended simulated sex, that's surprising.

We have "Clerks", "Clerks II", "Dogma", "Jay & Silent Bob Strikes Back" (lost), "Pulp Fiction", "El Mariachi/Desperado" (lost), "Inglorious Basterds", "Alien", "Aliens", "Alien 3", "Alien Vs Predator", "Aliens Vs Predator II: Requiem", "The Shining" (1980), "The Amityville Horror" (1979), "RoboCop", "Fatal Attraction", "Jaws" and more.

Interesting, never seen that kind of selection at my library back when I actually went.

Unless they have a set of standards, the movies are whatever the patrons request. I mean, you can't order an actual adult film, but you can order those movies that I listed.

[The Dream Master]

Why do people assume that libraries are bastions of purity just because they have books? It's not like there isn't literary smut out there, and an R-rated film is just as much of an art form as a book.

[Jason_Legend]

The first time I watched this, I laughed a lot. Probably the most I've laughed at a movie released this decade, next to American Pie 2 and American Wedding. I've watched bits of it since. I need to watch it all the way through again.

[Just Jeans]

Why do people assume that libraries are bastions of purity just because they have books? It's not like there isn't literary smut out there, and an R-rated film is just as much of an art form as a book.

A well-written Stephen King novel has more graphic sex than Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

[Uncle Hoody]

Why do people assume that libraries are bastions of purity just because they have books? It's not like there isn't literary smut out there, and an R-rated film is just as much of an art form as a book.

I remember in 7th grade reading a book about a high school wrestler and his girlfriend made a move on him, and it just kinda went graphic from there for a few paragraphs. I was like :eek: I found this in a Junior High library???????????

Of course I showed my friends and it became the most checked out book in the school until around 9th grade some 7th graders were in the corner of the library snickering with the book. The librarian took it off the shelves from that point.

[Monkey]

The Library here has tons of movies you wouldn't think would be in a library.

Clerks.
Mallrats
Halloween
Exorcist

and a whole bunch of R rated films.
That's the coolest part about a lot of libraries these days. Free movies!
:D

[Skye]

That's the coolest part about a lot of libraries these days. Free movies!
:D

I don't know about all public libraries, but the one I work at does have a few mainstream movies, mostly donated titles by the patrons. We don't want to compete with Blockbuster, so we don't order mainstream titles. And like someone said (I'm too lazy to go back & see who it was though) many libraries do carry erotica, which is basically literary porn.

[Voorheeszilla]

Wat the fuck , say it ain't so. Set them titties free Tons of Fun.

I agree, I was very disappointed when Banks didn't show the goods, especially since she was ready, willing, & able. A perfect opportunity....missed completely.