Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
Zack and Miri is a solid Kevin Smith romantic comedy with a funny, if familiar, premise — platonic friends discovering deeper feelings through an outrageous shared venture. The plot follows a fairly predictable rom-com arc despite the explicit setup, and the ending is conventional and rushed. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks have genuine chemistry and deliver warm, believable performances, elevating the material above its script's limitations. Cinematography is unremarkable and functional at best, typical of Smith's workmanlike visual style. The porno-filmmaking concept provides some novelty and memorable set pieces, but the film ultimately settles into genre comfort rather than truly subverting anything.