Film Friday: ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’ & ‘Changeling’

by W. Andrew Powell

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen in Zack and Miri Make a Porno

This week, Kevin Smith debuts his latest comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Clint Eastwood‘s tense drama, Changeling, opens in a few more theatres this weekend, plus, Guy Ritchie‘s RocknRolla opens across the country, as well as, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, and The Other End of the Line.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
For a lot of people, especially under the age of 35, Kevin Smith is a god-like being. The writer and director of Clerks was able to inject cool, clever, and refreshingly honest dialogue into his indie films that earned him respect among a whole generation of film lovers.

In his latest film, Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks star as, who else, Zack and Miri, two desperately broke roomies with no money to pay their bills. After a series of very unfortunate events, and after the power and water are shut off, the friends come up with one simple answer to their problems: they’re going to make an adult movie together.

Gathering up anyone they can find to help them make their movie, the two friends have to quickly deal with a lot of feelings, especially jealousy, which seem to be butting in on the fun.

And even though the film is called Zack and Miri Make a Porno, there is very little about the movie that is overtly over the top, except for the dialogue of course, and one slightly awful visual. In true Smith fashion, the jokes are about as adult as you can get, and probably some of the best material he has written. There is also some nudity, of course, including more of Jason Mewes than I ever cared to see, but it is all part of the fun.

The only major flaw, also in true Smith fashion, is that the third act is a bit on the weak side. The story gets a bit off kilter, and it seems like Smith wasn’t sure how to wrap things up. Because the rest of the film is such a fun ride, this doesn’t exactly ruin the film in any way, but it did feel a little disappointing.

And don’t be fooled by the advertising for the film either. Zack and Miri may be a little lewd, but Smith has once again crafted a very clever romance with Rogen and Banks doing well on both sides. They navigate between the jokes and the heartfelt moments with barely a backward glance.

Changeling
While I just talked about Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood’s new film last week, I know it opened wide across the country in a number of new markets, so I thought you might want a little reminder about what the film is all about.

Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins, a distraught mother who loses her son, only to have him return weeks later. But Christine believes that the boy who has returned isn’t actually her son, even though he says he is her son, and looks just like him. Begging the police to continue looking for her real son, the authorities try to convince the public that she is delusional, but with the help of a preacher, played by John Malkovich, she will try and convince the city that the police are actually corrupt.

Set in 1920s Los Angeles, Changeling is based on real events surrounding a series of kidnappings and murders. Unlike some of Eastwood’s previous films, which garnered huge critical praise, Changeling has been fraught with mixed reviews that suggest it may not be the director’s usual shoe-in for Oscar glory. A lot of the praise surrounding the film does suggest, though, that Jolie could be up for a nod, if nothing else.

Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine seems to sum up the film’s reception rather well. “Changeling announces itself as an autopsy of an expansive body of lies that it never actually performs,” he wrote, “and as such the surprisingly graceless and phony aesthetic is what lingers most.”

RocknRolla
Guy Ritchie’s latest gangster film, RocknRolla, also opens in a number of new theatres across the country this week. The great Tom Wilkinson stars as London crime boss Lenny Cole, who gets involved in a big deal with Russian mobster Uri, played by Karel Roden. When the money goes missing though, with Uri’s “lucky painting,” Lenny has to fix things quickly, or die trying.

Capturing a lot of the same comic edge and rapid-fire edits that made Snatch a hit, RocknRolla is a return to form for Ritchie, and has the cast to back that up. Thandie Newton stars as Uri’s hot accountant, Stella; Gerard Butler is the wry crook, One Two; and Jeremy Piven plays wise-cracking Mickey alongside Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges as Roman.

“If it’s adrenaline, over-the-top violence and cheeky gangsters you’re after,” Alonso Duralde wrote for MSNBC, “RocknRolla definitely delivers. But don’t be shocked if you find yourself wanting some aspirins and a cold compress once it’s all over…”

Also opening this week…

Haley Benett stars in The Haunting of Molly Hartley, a supernatural thriller about a young girl plagued with trouble as her 18th birthday approaches.

And in the romantic comedy, The Other End of the Line, Shriya stars opposite Jesse Metcalfe as an Indian woman working in a call centre who falls for an American man on the phone. Faking an American accent, and pretending she is from San Fransico, she agrees to meet him and see what happens, but she’ll have to fly to the U.S. first.

Join our list

Subscribe to our mailing list and get weekly updates on our latest contests, interviews, and reviews.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

You may also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Accept Read More