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NOTE: Previously published in The Technician newspaper.

There is a moment in Zack and Miri Make A Porno that everyone will remember. It’s the kind of thing that audience members immediately start talking about once the credits begin to roll, just to make sure they actually saw what they think they saw. Without giving too much away, all I’ll say is that it’s a joke involving human fecal matter that is so graphic and shocking, you’ll laugh simply because you don’t know how else to respond.

Such is the nature of Kevin Smith’s new movie: you’ll laugh not necessarily because what’s on screen is actually funny, but because not to do so would be to acknowledge that you’ve spent money on the kind of crass substance you could find on the Internet for free, or just by asking your friends to make a dirty joke.

The plotline is simple: Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) are long-time best friends who decide to make a no-budget pornographic film to raise money for their rent. But when it comes time for the two of them to “do the deed” on camera, their friendship is tested by the resulting complications. Think When Harry Met Sally with porn, and jokes that would make Ron Jeremy blush.

The problem with Zack and Miri isn’t that it’s a raunchy movie, it’s that it’s a movie built entirely upon raunch. Smith has long been known as a director that embraces poop and sex jokes, but he usually has the ability to write compelling characters and craft genuinely engaging relationships that set his films apart from the typical juvenile sex comedy.

Unfortunately, while Zack and Miri does attempt to insert conflict into the relationship of its protagonists (in what ends up being the film’s most well-crafted and heartfelt scene), this ultimately is overshadowed by the sheer volume of jokes that serve no purpose except to shock and offend. It’s as if when Smith was writing the script, all he could think was, “I’ve got to top the donkey scene from Clerks 2!” The result is a film that comes as close as possible to being actual pornography, and that should have kept its original NC-17 rating.

This is no Dogma or Chasing Amy, which infused an effective amount of commentary and social satire between the dirty jokes. While the premise could easily be utilized to ask thought-provoking questions about the treatment of sex in American society, or the fusion of sex and capitalism, Zack and Miri chooses to ignore these opportunities in favor of getting in a few extra penis and fart jokes. Nor does it approach anything like Clerks 2, which successfully crafted a sappy and sweet story of friendship amidst scenes of bestiality and ass-to-mouth punchlines. We’re left with a film that retains Smith’s gift for snappy dialogue, but the fact that 99 percent of the jokes are unprintable should tell you something. Casually dropping f-bombs and the c-word may seem edgy and innovative, but that doesn’t always mean it’s good.

The movie is not a total failure. The first third is strong, and Zack and Miri’s relationship comes off as one of the more charming and refreshing in recent memory. The craftsmanship is superb – Smith is growing as a filmmaker in terms of his visual style. And he’s clearly becoming more adept at directing actors. Justin Long and Brandon Routh steal the show as gay porn stars, and don’t be surprised if Craig Robinson’s (The Office) performance as Zack’s co-worker-turned-producer makes him the next big name in comedy.

I also should point out that the movie is very funny at times. The problem is that, like the relationship of its two leads, once porn and sex directly enter the picture, what started out as a dirty-yet-fun comedy becomes a muddled and distracting string of sex jokes, each designed to be more over-the-top and offensive than the last. While I can appreciate the use of shock value in comedy, shock alone can’t hold a whole film. At some point, one must remember the story and characters. It says something about the quality of Smith’s writing that the film is most engaging when it takes its characters and their conflict seriously. If he had chosen to focus more on the “Zack and Miri” part of the title rather than the “Make A Porno”, the result might have been one of his more endearing and well-crafted films.

If you just want to sit back and watch some sex gags for 100 minutes, you’ll probably have a blast. As it stands, though, Zack and Miri Make A Porno is all raunch and very little heart.

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