Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Rating: * * *

In 1994, director Kevin Smith became one of the darlings of independent film with his debut feature

Clerks

, about a couple of potty-mouthed, slacker shop assistants. Now he's back with a film about another couple of slackers, Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) who are also fond of four letter words, and having sex in front of strangers.

It's all in the cause of making money and the title pretty much sums it up. Zack and Miri, best friends and flatmates, are broke, and when their power and water are turned off they come up with a way to get themselves out of debt before they find themselves homeless. Inspired by a male porn star he meets at his high school reunion, Zack convinces Miri they should make a sci-fi spoof porn film.

Deciding on the title

Star Whores

, Zack and Miri hire an amateur cast and crew (including adult film stars Traci Lords and Katie Morgan, and Smith favourites Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes), but their production is halted when their makeshift studio is unexpectedly demolished. Zack, a man short on ambition until now, comes up with a new idea inspired by the drab chain store suburban coffee house he works at, and the porn film S

wallow my Cockacino

is born.

Porn fans will not find this film as titillating as the title sounds. Smith is focused on the absurdity of the storylines and setups in porn films rather than arousing the audience, and underneath the raunchy sex on the coffee counter this is also a sweet, although predictable, romance as Zack and Miri discover their true feelings for each other.

Smith doesn't hold back on the swearing, lowbrow conversations, or the film references, and reminds us that he was around long before Judd Apatow (

Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin

) started making these irreverently minded films commercially successful.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

coughs up a few good laughs, but the crassness of Smith's dialogue grates, and a fair number of scenes fall flat, such as the cameo appearance by Jason Long and Brandon Routh as gay lovers.

Banks and Rogen do a good job of making Zack and Miri genuine and likeable, but how funny you find this film will depend on how much you admire and can handle Kevin Smith. He's happy to offend almost everyone.

- Francesca Rudkin

Cast

: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks

Director:

Kevin Smith

Running time

: 101 mins

Rating

: R18 (Sex Scenes & Offensive Language)

Screening

: Hoyts, SkyCity and Berkeley Cinemas

Verdict

: Typical over-the-top Kevin Smith material that provides a few laughs, but overall doesn't quite fire.