First let me get this out of the way, I’m a huge Kevin Smith fan so it’s hard for the guy to disappoint me. I even found some enjoyment in Jersey Girl which is usually thought of as his worst movie. Anyway, this one is a raunchy sex filled romantic comedy. Jersey Girl meets Clerks 2 if you will. Seth Rogen is Zack. Elizabeth Banks is Miri. They are lifelong best friends who live together but struggle to get by. They waste money and have shit jobs. When things start getting really bad and the water and electric get turned off in their apartment, they somehow agree to make a porno. They bring in a few friends to help out and cast some local strippers or actors interested in porn. It’s a pretty damn funny movie. It’s filled with great lines and hilariously awkward scenes. But it still has heart. Kevin Smith managed to make a filthy movie with characters you truly care about.
First things first, this movie is a hard R. There are couple scenes that could have been on late night Cinemax. Of course there’s comedy elements thrown in the mix but still. There’s a sex scene between Jason Mewes (Jay from Jay & Silent Bob) and porn star Katie Morgan that is pretty graphic. I’m not surprised that he had a hard time with the MPAA on this one. The language is filled with sexual talk ranging from witty porn movie titles to explicit talk of gay sex in a cameo between Justin Long and Brandon “Superman” Routh. The things they come up with are shocking yet hilarious.
Seth Rogen has not had a bomb in theaters yet. The guy really brings the simple man charm to a movie. He’s not a typical Hollywood actor. He’s your “every man”. He’s very relatable. Elizabeth Banks is charming also and seems like a chick a dude wouldn’t mind hanging out with. Oh and on top of that, she’s hot. Not to mention she has some funny lines of dialogue as well. Kevin Smith doesn’t give all the best roles to dudes. But a show stealer is Craig Robinson (Daryl from TV’s The Office) who is really coming into his own as a comedic actor with roles in Knocked Up, Walk Hard, and Pineapple Express. In fact the best way to describe this movie is a giant mash up of Apatow and View Askew actors.
Anyway, this film is highly recommended. It’s a hilarious look at friends sticking by each other and doing what it takes to survive. Of course it’s not THAT deep but it’s a Kevin Smith movie for God’s sake. It’s a love story for dudes, a very sexual love story. I like my comedies raunchy like the days of Animal House and Porky’s. Kevin Smith still brings the raunch to the max and I love it. I wouldn’t call this a MADE movie because there’s a lot of other Smith flicks that I can personally call classic. This one will have to stand the test of time… so for now, its borderline.
IMDB -8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes-66%
Movie Wiseguys – 7.5/10