One of the hallmarks of a great director, or any great artist for that matter, is how far he or she can push the limits of what people consider socially acceptable in an attempt to provide a commentary on the world we live in. While many may not consider his run of films to fall into such a category, Smith has proven time and again that he’s willing to do just that. With Clerks, it was a discussion of how people view society. Chasing Amy was a more serious study of sexual orientation. In Dogma he focused his energies on religion. Now in Zack and Miri, Smith practically asks if porn isn’t mainstream now. With the popularity of do-it-yourself video, emphasis on do-it, and the success of sites such as PornoTube.com where, yes, you too can become a porn star, it seems to be a valid question.
 
Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been best friends since high school. They live in a crummy, little apartment where the bills have piled up and all utilities are in the process of being cut off. After a chance video of Miri in her undies hits the Internet with huge success, Zack convinces her to make a porno to pay off their debts. Together, they assemble a cast and as the filming begins, the fact that there may be more than friendship between the long-time friends becomes evident.
 
I want to see the original cut of this movie before it was submitted to the MPAA. With as much language and nudity flying around on screen, and we’re talking full frontal, I can’t imagine how he got this to pass with an R rating. There are some scenes that are purely for shock value. Even when you know what’s coming, the extremity of the visuals is a bit unexpected.
 
While you’ll find the typical geek culture references Smith is so fond of using, there was more to this film than pop-culture jargon. The direction and filming of this movie is of a higher quality than we usually see from Smith. Rogen also shows much more emotional depth than he has on any previous project and with the title of this film, that was a big surprise. Most of the supporting characters didn’t hold up their end acting, but then again, they are supposed to be in the porn biz and when has there ever really been good acting in that genre?
 
Smith has given us another well written and very entertaining story. It is light, refreshing, hilarious, and doesn’t get overly bogged down in emotions while still plucking the heart strings. If his goal was to craft the perfect love story for guys, then well done, Mr. Smith. Well done.