Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2-Disc Edition) |  | Director: Kevin Smith
Actors: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Gerry Bednob, Jason Mewes
Studio: Weinstein Company
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $9.89
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Seller: inetvideo
Rating:  112 reviews
Sales Rank: 3195
Format: Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WEID1000299D
UPC: 796019819305
EAN: 0796019819305
ASIN: B001MEJYAU
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: February 3, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 02/03/2009 Run time: 101 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
Fans of writer/director Kevin Smith (auteur of Dogma and Chasing Amy) should run to see Zack and Miri Make a Porno--the adored filmmaker has clearly made this with his hardcore following in mind. Zack (Seth Rogen, Knocked Up) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks, Slither) are longtime friends and housemates who, after their power and water get shut off, turn to pornography to pay their bills. After assembling a cheerful and perhaps dimwitted cast and crew, the hapless pair launch into their cynical yet heartwarming scheme with enthusiasm, only to discover--spoiler alert!--that they have feelings for each other. Smith clearly wanted to make a sex comedy with heart, something in the vein of The 40 Year Old Virgin.Unfortunately, Zack and Miri Make a Porno combines the mawkish, formulaic sentimentality of Jersey Girl with the belabored, formulaic sex gags of Clerks II. For a movie that clearly hearkens back to Smith's own experiences making the beloved and archetypally cheap-and-dirty Clerks, Zack and Miri Make a Porno is sadly generic and predictable. But Smith's fanbase will appreciate that the movie has snarky jokes about science fiction, a good dose of bare breasts (and two actual porn stars, Traci Lords and Katie Morgan), and the schlubby guy/hot chick dynamic that drives a thousand sitcoms. --Bret Fetzer
Stills from Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 112
 Funny, raunch stuff! Kevin Smith tries to outdo Apatow. January 13, 2009
RMurray847 (Albuquerque, NM United States)
53 out of 63 found this review helpful
First there was Kevin Smith, with his patented brand of hugely over-the-top raunch in CLERKS. As he "matured," he added a level of true feeling behind this work in CHASING AMY. And then he sort of lost his way with a few pretty awful films. Meanwhile, Judd Apatow established himself as the King of Sweet Raunch with 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, SUPERBAD, etc. In these films, the characters spoke about sex with a level of filthy detail never before heard. They indulged in reckless behavior. They were the kinds of people films had for decades told us were "bad." Yet we recognized people we knew in them, or even ourselves. They were also infused with an innocence and an acknowledgement that behind all the strutting bluster, we all just want to be loved. They acknowledged the weakness in men, and the strength in women who can make these men pull themselves up by their bootstraps and start to take life seriously. This was the Apatow "brand."
Now Kevin Smith has come storming back to reclaim his part of that little mountain. While his ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO doesn't re-establish him as King, it reminds us that Apatow and others owe him a debt...and that he's still capable of out-raunching the raunchiest stuff we've seen. And, as will be no surprise to anyone who has seen the trailers for the film, he mixes in the "sweet" stuff pretty well too.
The presence of Apatow disciple Seth Rogan makes the film seem more like an Apatow film than perhaps it really is. For example, in movies like SUPERBAD, there is actually relatively little sex being had. Characters talk about it, and they sure would like to be indulging in it...but not much happens. In ZACK & MIRI, a great deal of sex is had and shown. It is a far more visually explicit movie than Apatow's (the full frontal male nudity in WALK HARD being a notable exception). I wouldn't want to compare the level of explicit imagery in the dialogue side by side with a SUPERBAD, but I suspect that ZACK & MIRI is also verbally just a smidge more explicit as well.
Zack (Rogan) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been friends since first grade, and now, on the eve of their 10th High School Reunion, they are roommates sharing a rundown rental and one very run down car. They both have dead-end jobs and apparently no ambition. They also have not paid bills in quite awhile. While neither seems exactly HAPPY with life, both are content in the little routines they have to get through the day.
Miri forces Zack to go with her to the reunion, because she's hoping to shamelessly throw herself at the "boy" she crushed on in school (Brandon Routh). Zack, meanwhile, has an interesting conversation with this guys boyfriend (a hilarious Justin Long, as we've never seen him), who apparently is a well-known gay porn actor. Naturally, Miri is crushed to find this guy she intended to sleep with is gay, but the two are more upset to find their hot water and electricity has been turned off. But Zack comes up with the "great" idea to make a pornographic movie in order to pay their bills.
I won't dwell on the specifics anymore, but you can imagine how things might develop. The two hapless friends have no money and no video camera, so they have to turn to friends to underwrite their crazy venture, and an unlikely troupe of filmmakers develops. There are obligatory scenes of auditions and the struggle to come up with the right title for the film. (If this weren't a "family" site, I'd share a few...the one involving a twist on LAWRENCE OF ARABIA just about made me spew soda through my nose)
It's all quite, quite raunchy. While not literally as explicit as a real porn film, not all that much is held back. I can sure see why Smith had to fight to avoid an NC-17 rating. Under absolutely no circumstances to you want to see this film with your kids...no matter how old your kids are!
Will Zack & Miri find out they are right for each other? Will doing porn ruin their discovery? The film holds few plot related surprises, frankly. It is the verbal dazzle that keeps you entertained.
And the performances. Seth Rogan pretty much gives us the same character again...but he does have an ease about his acting that makes him enjoyable. His characters may be insecure, but Rogan is not. But it is Elizabeth Banks who surprises the most. I've seen her in a lot of smaller roles (on "Scrubs", for example) and to be honest, she's struck me as vaguely perky but lightweight. Here, it is frankly a bit startling to see her right in this raunchy mix, her mouth as dirty as anyone else. Smith has empowered her, that's for sure (don't know if that's a good thing for "society" or not). She also finds some true depths in Miri, particularly as the film winds down, that elevate her performance to a special level. It's not Oscar winning stuff, exactly, but it will make people sit up and take notice of her. This, and her praised performance in W., have made it quite a good year for her.
The movie is hilarious. That's what you want to know, isn't it? My wife and I both laughed uproariously many time. It will offend you, too. Smith loses control a few times, with some random scenes that grind the story to a halt. Most revolved around the character played by Jason Mewes (better known as "Jay" in a myrid of Smith's earlier films) a young man who makes it into the film due to some "special talent." He's funny, but his stuff seems out of place...as though Smith stopped his movie to let his old buddy riff on some dirty stuff. There's also some stuff about a constipated actress that devolves into the nastiest couple of seconds you've ever seen, that even so are unbelievable, unlikely, unfunny AND distract from a key moment for the story.
(By the way, I apologize if I've offended anyone with the review...tough to talk much about this film without stretching the boundaries a little. If you find my review offensive...please skip the film.)
Overall, Smith has made a funny and sometimes tender film. If Judd Apatow had never existed, this film would be groundbreaking. Now it is a familiar formula, with the raunchy dial turned to 11. But, if that's something you've enjoyed before, you'll get many big laughs from ZACK & MIRI!
 Hilarious January 20, 2009
Jason (Backwater, Alabama)
31 out of 38 found this review helpful
I won't beat around the bush: "Zack and Miri" is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It's a laugh riot from beginning to end, and even after the credits role (hint hint).
There is no disguise or misdirection; it's exactly what is expected. It's foul-mouthed concoction of obscenities, smut, juvenile humor, tons of pop-culture references, and a good deal of smart dialogue. It's parody at the pinnacle of the genre, making fun of the 70's and 80's porn industry, when it was in a developmental and transitional phase before today's high-end adult films - or so I've heard anyway. Make no mistake; however, there is also a very serious approach taken (which gets a bit sappy), and true devotion and respect is paid to not only porn (which is odd), but also the hilariously crass Smith (Apatow-esque) comedy (which is expected). Smith nails it.
There are countless highlights and laughs throughout. The best scenes, however, are those leading up to filming of the cheesy porn. Selecting the name for the movie, coming up with "Star Whores" (and hilarious names for the rest of the series), while ripping through raunchy variations of several other movies, almost made me convulse from laughter. Some may have a problem believing Seth Rogen as a porn star, thinking the concept as real as the silicone on a typical adult set, but Ron Jeremy pretty much negates that argument. There is no doubt, however, that Elizabeth Banks could easily be a megastar if she were to turn to the dark side. Their onset chemistry is definitely what makes the movie work.
It's definitely not for the easily offended. I'd go so far as to say that it's a fairly smart comedy if one can get around perpetual F-Bombs. It's a witty movie about raunchy intercourse that pushes the socially inhibition and sexually awkward buttons.
The way I see it, there are two groups of people who will watch this movie. One group knows what they are getting into; they're going to see a Kevin Smith flick that is sure to be crude and contain poop humor. The other group will be people who will frown at the profanities and cover their eyes at the vulgarity. To the former I say: You'll absolutely bust a gut watching this movie. I know I did. To the latter I say: What the heck were you expecting? Are you really so dumb as to not know what you were about to watch? It's called "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" for goodness sakes! Go watch a nice chick-flick or a documentary instead.
In closing, this was the best comedy of 2008, and it's not even close. They are so devoted to concept of this movie that there is even a guy on the crew named Buster Pile! I kid you not. Hilarious.
Very funny, but also crude and not for the easily offended February 5, 2009
terpfan1980 (Somewhere near Washington DC, United States)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
I had the luxury of seeing this film on the big screen with a friend. Having seen reviews we knew to expect it to be funny, but also that it would be crude. It was that and more.
Be aware that like many of Judd Apatow's films Zack and Miri includes 'bonus' full frontal footage (male, full frontal footage that is) to add to the humor and/or shock value. Expect at least a couple of those type scenes and don't say you weren't forewarned before watching the film.
Once past that issue, viewers should also be aware that there's one scene that isn't for those with a weak stomach. It's quite funny, but also incredibly crude and honestly surprised me that it made it past the MPAA on the way to the R rating that the film carried when it was aired in theatres. You'll likely find it nearly impossible not to laugh, but it's also going to be something you'll want to turn away from. Note that I don't want to spoil the film or the scene, but you'll be able to see what's coming and can probably figure out in advance what I'm referring to so you should also be able to be prepared.
The film itself is not just funny and crude (and lewd as well), it's also, as promised on the quote from Time magazine critic Richard Corliss on the cover art for the Blu-ray disc "Sweet, Funny and Sexy." While writer/director Kevin Smith was obviously going for cheap humor, he opted to wrap it up nicely in a sweet tale of two down on their luck friends. Thanks to a very funny supporting cast, everything works pretty well and makes the end result a film that should crack you up.
What isn't included on the Blu-ray, unfortunately, is a commentary from the director. Smith decided not to do a commentary track for the current release of the film. Whether one will be done in the future likely depends on sales of the film on disc as well as whether or not Smith ever finds time to go back and record it. Even without a commentary track the film includes a substantial load of special features including a making of featurette, a large number of deleted scenes, outtakes and other fun stuff.
The video quality is very good. Not necessarily what technophiles would label as reference quality, but still very good. Kevin Smith's films don't necessarily live or die by their cinematography, but it also couldn't be said that he doesn't care about such things either. Knowing that Smith's films are more about the dialoge and character interactions, you might expect the video to be apparently less important, but that really isn't the case here.
Sound quality on the Blu-ray has raised some concerns for some viewers. I've seen complaints that the audio levels are low requiring some viewers to crank the volume a bit so as not to miss the dialogue. That's very much a your mileage may vary type thing as the results on different sound setups vary. Just be aware you may find yourself cranking the volume a bit more for this disc than you might normally do.
One final complaint that may come up - depending upon where you buy your copy of this disc you may find that you get different cover art than you see at other outlets. Some retailers are using different cover art that somewhat censors the packaging. Something about the use of the P word makes some retailers nervous. :-p
Kevin Smith fans probably long ago considered this must buy material. Non-fans may be reading the reviews (like this one) to help make up their mind. Again, I'd caution that you should know going in that it is crude and lewd, but as long as you aren't easily offended you might find it quite funny. For me it's definitely worth the purchase.
Excellent another winner from Kevin Smith March 11, 2009
Dave. K (Staten Island, Ny)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO
**** Out of 5
Release Date- October 31st, 2008
Running Time- 102-Minutes
Rating- R
Writer/Director- Kevin Smith
Starring- Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson, Traci Lords, Katie Morgan, Rick Mabe, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Brandon Routh and Justin Long as Brandon St. Randy
Upon the release of Zack and Miri Make a Porno the movie was getting a lot of negative feedback due to the title, which led to the TV spots to simply call the movie Zack and Miri; I really don't understand why in America people get so uptight when it comes to sex and nudity. What I find funny is it seems violence is ok, but dare have some nudity or the word porn in the title there's this huge uproar. I personally have no problem with violence and sex and nudity in movies if I were to be offended by one it would be violence. I'm actually kind of surprised Kevin Smith even got this movie made, but originally the movie did get an NC-17 rating, which led to cuts to make it R-rated. While I haven't seen it NC-17, but I don't think the movie suffered at all.
Zack and Miri rates as one of my favorite comedies of 2008 and while by no means is this a perfect movie it does provide plenty of laughs and all the craziness we've come to know from a Kevin Smith movie. Zack and Miri isn't his best film, but it is another winner in his career.
Kevin Smith made his feature film debut in 1994 with the cult classic Clerks and 14-years later came Zack and Miri and Kevin Smith has managed to stay relevant. In the 14-years between movies a lot has changed in the world and a lot has changed in filmmaking and a lot of filmmakers seem to have trouble from going from one era to another. But yet Kevin Smith is one of those few filmmakers that can change with the times, but yet still stay true to what made his career take off. Personally I wouldn't say Zack and Miri is Smith's best work, but one can make a case for it and that seems to be rare in filmmaking.
The screenplay by Kevin Smith was top notch; Smith has a style of writing and yet he doesn't simply write the same movie over and over again. Smith I always felt writes excellent dialogue and always has really great characters. And he's able to keep that going here. The characters are great and some of the most entertaining of his career. Kevin Smith does get a little sappy with the script in the 2nd half, but it still has the Smith style of writing so while sappy it's still really funny.
As director Kevin Smith does an excellent job; I think most of us could agree that the power of Smith's films is his writing, but he's also an underrated director. Most people cite his writing, which is understandable, but he is a good director and the pacing of Zack and Miri is excellent and the movie is always funny and entertaining. The 2nd half isn't as good as the first half and like I said it can get a little sappy and a bit predictable, but even with that said Kevin Smith still delivers plenty of laughs and moments that are bound to make the viewer smile.
When you really break down Kevin Smith's movies there really is a lot of heart in his movies. Smith movies are known for their cursing and or sexual content, which sadly some people find offensive does anybody remember the backlash on Dogma? But when you really break it down there's a lot of heart and charm to Smith's movies and really is a lot more than some people give him credit for.
Who knew back when Freaks and Geeks debuted Seth Rogen would become of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Due to his mainstream popularity and the fact he's appeared in so many movies in a short span the backlash is bound to happen. But that's the way it goes; the bigger an actor or filmmaker or even a film gets it seems suddenly the cool thing to do is hate on it. But Seth Rogen is a very gifted comedic actor and can actually handle the dramatic scenes; as a die hard Freaks and Geeks fan it's great to see most of the actors from the show moving on to bigger things. Elizabeth Banks delivers another solid performance I'm really growing quite fond of her and this was her best role and performance to date.
Craig Robinson though steals the show just as he did in Pineapple Express. I just love his line delivery. Robison is an actor I hope to see a lot more of. Jeff Anderson is also really funny he has that sarcastic humor to him and he's always great at it. Jason Mewes is well Jason Mewes and like always he rocked the show. Most porn stars rarely make good actors, but Traci Lords does have some talent when given the right role and here she clearly has the right role. Porn star Katie Morgan is surprisingly decent in her role and actually shows she might be able to handle herself in real movies.
Brandon Routh and Justin Long are hysterical in a brief, but very memorable scene and look for horror Icon Tom Savini in a cameo as Jenkins. And speaking of Tom Savini I really hope horror fans notice the homage to Dawn of the Dead.
Again Zack and Miri isn't a perfect movie, but it is an excellent and funny movie that comes highly recommended to Kevin Smith fans.
The Blu-ray release is excellent the picture quality is amazing; the transfer is one of the best out there and the sound is also solid. The disc is jam packed with extras including some behind the scenes and 94-minutes worth of deleted scenes.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Blu-ray Info January 27, 2009
LGANS316 (Tokyo Japan)
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
Version: U.S.A / Weinstein / Region A, B(?), C(?)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / AACS / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 1:41:34
Movie size: 24,91 GB
Disc size: 46,48 GB
Total bit rate: 32.71 Mbps
Average video bit rate: 24.93 Mbps
Dolby TrueHD Audio English 3206 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3206 kbps / 24-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
Subtitles: English SDH / Spanish
Number of chapters: 23
#Deleted and extended scenes
#Zak/Joey documentary
#Money Shots promo videos
#Blooper reel
Showing reviews 1-5 of 112
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