Kevin Smith's sophomore attempt at leaving Jay & Silent Bob behind is exponentially better than his previous effort, Jersey Girl. Zack & Miri Make a Porno is a gleefully vulgar romantic comedy that almost flawlessly merges the worlds of Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow. While Apatow had no direct involvement with Zack & Miri, his influence is undeniable. Apatow regulars Seth Rogan, Elizabeth Banks, Gerry Bednob, Justin Long and Craig Robinson share the screen with Smith's friends Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes, along with the least cringe-inducing appearance Smith's wife Jennifer Schwalbach has made in a film so far. The result is kind of like an all-star game for potty-mouthed adolescent humor. Robinson steals every scene he's in, but otherwise the cast is universally hilarious, with the exception of a surprisingly underused role by real life porn legend Traci Lords. Cameos by Brandon Routh and Tom Savini are also underwhelming, though I guess Routh can't really be blamed for having his scene stolen by Long. The film's other real pornstar, Katie Morgan, manages to make her character both delightfully ditzy but still endearing (maybe it's just me, but I almost busted out my sides at her delivery of the line "I think they're in Hell."). And of course there's Rogan's Zack and Banks' Miri, who are so incredibly cute and believable together as platonic friends who would secretly love to be with one another. The film's biggest emotional payoff comes when it's time for them to finally have sex. A lesser comedy would have placed this scene near the end of the movie, but Smith cleverly places in in the second act, and lets the results play out over the rest of the film. The last act wraps up a little too nicely, and Smith fumbles some of the more emotion-focused scenes, but overall I enjoyed Zack & Miri Make A Porno nearly as much as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which is still my favorite movie of the year.
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