Zack and Miri Make a Porno
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a 2008 comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is Smith's second film (after Jersey Girl) not to be set within the View Askewniverse and the first not set or shot in New Jersey. It was released on October 31, 2008.
Plot
Monroeville, Pennsylvania roommates Zack Brown (Seth Rogen) and Miriam "Miri" Linky (Elizabeth Banks), who've been friends since the first grade, are facing hard times and a mountain of debt. Miri works at the local shopping mall and Zack works at a coffee shop, but they are so inundated with unpaid bills that their water gets turned off right before their high school reunion. At the reunion, Miri attempts to seduce her attractive former schoolmate Bobby Long (Brandon Routh), while Zack strikes up a conversation with Brandon St. Randy (Justin Long), who reveals that he is a gay porn star, and Bobby's boyfriend.
After returning home from the reunion, the apartment's electricity is turned off. Inspired by both the cultural mainstreaming of porn and the successful viral video that a coffee shop patron shot of Miri in a state of undress, Zack convinces Miri to film a pornographic movie together to make money.
Gathering a group of acquaintances and hired crew, they decide to film a Star Wars parody film called Star Whores. Zack's coworker, Delaney (Craig Robinson), who is made the producer, initially rents filming equipment and a building to use as a studio. But when they return the next day to begin filming, the group arrives to see the building being demolished, along with the equipment inside. They are told that that the man that rented it to them had run off with the money. Remembering that the coffee shop boss (Gerry Bednob) threatened to install hidden video surveillance, Zack finds it, and decides to use it to replace their lost filming equipment. Zack revamps the film to one with a coffee shop motif, Swallow My Cockuccino, which they will film after hours at the coffee shop where Zack works using the surveillance camera.
Despite their insistence to one another that they would not allow having sex with each other to affect their friendship, when it comes time for Zack and Miri to have sex on camera, they find that instead of the clinical sex enacted by the actors in the other scenes, their interlude is romantic and heartfelt. Later that evening, Zack and Miri are at home when suddenly their power and water is turned back on. The rest of the actors and crew show up and reveal that they pooled their resources to pay one month of their bills, and have come over to throw them a party.
At the party, one of the other actresses, Stacey (Katie Morgan), asks Miri if it is okay for her to ask Zack to have sex. Although Miri has realized that she has developed feelings for Zack, she tells her it is okay to ask him. When Stacey relates this to Zack, the two retreat to Zack's bedroom, much to Miri's dismay.
The next evening, Zack is preparing to film a scene between Stacey and another actor, Lester (Jason Mewes), that was supposed to have been with Lester and Miri. Zack is dismayed when Miri shows up and insists on shooting the scene as originally planned. An incredulous Zack asks if she is doing this as a form of retaliation, pointing out that Stacey told him that Miri didn't mind her sleeping with Zack. Miri corrects him, clarifying that she didn't mind that Stacey merely made the offer to sleep with him. Perceiving this to have been some type of test, Zack admits that during the sex scene they filmed together, there was an emotional connection between them, and that he loves Miri. When Miri does not reciprocate, Zack storms out of the coffee shop, quitting the film and his job, and moves out of the apartment.
Three months later, Zack sees Delaney and Deacon (Jeff Anderson), the cameraman, and learns that Miri never filmed the scene with Lester. Zack goes to Miri's apartment, and reveals to her that he never slept with Stacey, as they only ended up talking about Miri and Zack's relationship. He pours his heart out to Miri, telling her that he loves her, and in response, Miri reciprocates. They marry, and start their own video production company, Zack and Miri Make Your Porno, which makes amateur videos for couples.
Cast
- Seth Rogen as Zack Brown
- Elizabeth Banks as Miriam "Miri" Linky
- Craig Robinson as Delaney
- Jason Mewes as Lester
- Traci Lords as Bubbles
- Jeff Anderson as Deacon
- Katie Morgan as Stacey
- Ricky Mabe as Barry
- Justin Long as Brandon St. Randy
- Brandon Routh as Bobby Long
- Tyler Labine as Drunk Customer
- Tisha Campbell-Martin as Delaney's wife
- Tom Savini as Jenkins
- Jennifer Schwalbach as Betsy
- Gerry Bednob as Mr. Surya
- Kenny Hotz as Zack II
Rating
The Motion Picture Association of America initially gave the film an NC-17 rating for "some graphic sexuality". Smith appealed the rating, hoping for an "R" rating, and the film was viewed by the MPAA again. In an interview with MTV.com, Seth Rogen commented "It's a really filthy movie. I hear they are having some problems getting an R rating from an NC-17 rating, which is never good." He continued, complaining that "They fight against sex stuff. Isn't that weird? It's really crazy to me that Hostel is fine, with people gouging their eyes out and shit like that... But you can't show two people having sex — that's too much". On August 5, the rating was successfully appealed to an R with no cuts. It attained the rating for "strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language".
