Zack and Miri score with Kevin Smith's latest
The film is in many ways an amalgamation of two leading forces in film comedy: Judd Apatow and his children-in-men's-bodies style of humor and Smith's nerdy, dirty-joke approach to making great movies. Apatow's presence is most clearly seen in Seth Rogen, a superb comedian who has - seemingly overnight - become a leading man. His friendly, unassuming manner lends itself to all the roles he chooses to accept, and he takes potentially mediocre roles and makes them his own. In truth, the movie could not exist without Rogen, and that is something that cannot be said about any other member of the cast.
Craig Robinson, too, is associated with Apatow stock, having just given a hilarious turn as a hit man in Judd's Pineapple Express. A worthy sidekick to Rogen, Robinson's Delaney is the epitome of restrained comedy; he plays it straight as events around him, like his monster of a wife, are very exaggerated, and he keeps us in stitches as he does it.
But it is, after all, Kevin Smith's movie, and his indelible mark is easily seen. Zack and Miri both harbor a great love for hockey, a theme that has been seen in almost every Smith film, from Clerks to Dogma. His inner nerd is let out with the potential name for their porno: "Star Whores." In the way of dirty humor, let's just say that the director's interest in feces doesn't go unmentioned here. This film is, in many ways, a coming-of-age experience for Smith, who, at 38, has been both propelled and held back by his own little universe of cinema, characterized by his lovable pair "Jay and Silent Bob." These characters made him famous, but he's been limited to making films about them. His last excursion from this universe, Jersey Girl, was a critical and commercial failure. With this latest work, though, Smith has evolved from his early stages of filmmaking while still maintaining his comedic prowess.
The film is not perfect; at times it is predictably sentimental. The ending, without giving anything away, can be seen from the onset of the movie. But this sentimentality is partially what makes the film so great, and it's not the ending that makes this film great, but rather the way in which everyone gets there. Although some aspects of the movie are overdone, in no way is it unoriginal.
Finally, something should be said for the chemistry between Banks and Rogen. Banks's Miri is a bubbly, fun persona and is likeable all the way to the end credits. The interaction between her and Rogen's Zack are, in many ways, the crux of the movie. Their relationship provides the film with a humanistic, sweet, very funny and, at times, raunchy quality. In today's society, what better recipe is there for success?
Craig Robinson, too, is associated with Apatow stock, having just given a hilarious turn as a hit man in Judd's Pineapple Express. A worthy sidekick to Rogen, Robinson's Delaney is the epitome of restrained comedy; he plays it straight as events around him, like his monster of a wife, are very exaggerated, and he keeps us in stitches as he does it.
But it is, after all, Kevin Smith's movie, and his indelible mark is easily seen. Zack and Miri both harbor a great love for hockey, a theme that has been seen in almost every Smith film, from Clerks to Dogma. His inner nerd is let out with the potential name for their porno: "Star Whores." In the way of dirty humor, let's just say that the director's interest in feces doesn't go unmentioned here. This film is, in many ways, a coming-of-age experience for Smith, who, at 38, has been both propelled and held back by his own little universe of cinema, characterized by his lovable pair "Jay and Silent Bob." These characters made him famous, but he's been limited to making films about them. His last excursion from this universe, Jersey Girl, was a critical and commercial failure. With this latest work, though, Smith has evolved from his early stages of filmmaking while still maintaining his comedic prowess.
The film is not perfect; at times it is predictably sentimental. The ending, without giving anything away, can be seen from the onset of the movie. But this sentimentality is partially what makes the film so great, and it's not the ending that makes this film great, but rather the way in which everyone gets there. Although some aspects of the movie are overdone, in no way is it unoriginal.
Finally, something should be said for the chemistry between Banks and Rogen. Banks's Miri is a bubbly, fun persona and is likeable all the way to the end credits. The interaction between her and Rogen's Zack are, in many ways, the crux of the movie. Their relationship provides the film with a humanistic, sweet, very funny and, at times, raunchy quality. In today's society, what better recipe is there for success?
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