Kevin Smith Strikes Out

Following the stupid/funny films vein already cut open by successful predecessors like “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express,” director Kevin Smith takes a stab of his own with “Zack and Miri Make A Porno,” which – imagine that! – even stars Seth Rogen, a cultural staple in surface-level comedy today. 

Or maybe this marks an end to Rogen’s typecasting, as Smith’s latest film is devoid of marijuana. 

But it’s got something else. Despite the fairly basic premise, the script is original. 

A young couple – but not, they will insist, a “romantic” couple – find themselves buried in debt, and their lifelong friendship alone cannot pay the bills. To keep homelessness at bay, they turn to a supposedly – genius, obviously – desperate plan: Zack and Miri set out to make a porno.

The two-disc edition DVD offers some fun for those who immensely enjoyed the film or are simply interested in the film industry.

A making-of documentary runs for an hour and a half and gives glimpses of the work from beginning to end. Scenes deleted from the original cut made it onto the DVD.
 The blooper reel is amusing but strangely redundant for a movie that feels like one big ad-lib at times.

One feature is labeled “Battle For Improvisational Supremacy” and consists of Rogen and Justin Long locked in comedic warfare, improvising their one scene together. This is funny only because it shows how well Long maintains character next to Rogen, who breaks every five seconds.

Kevin Smith is still a worthy director, and it makes sense to keep riding the wave of near mindlessness that made him big, but hopefully he’ll return to his “Chasing Amy” side and write something with a bit more brains.