By James Furbush | September 3rd, 2008 | 5:45 am PDT
It’ll be interesting to see what the reception of Kevin Smith’s new relationship-sex comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno will be. Partly, one wonders if his latest movie will be called a Judd Apatow rip off and also wonders if it will be as commercially viable as a Judd Apatow comedy – what with starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.
Using a red band trailer is probably the best way to promote a filthy Kevin Smith movie. The movie premieres next week at the Toronto International Film Festival and then opens stateside on October 31.
Peter over at Slashfilm has seen the movie, lucky bastard that one, and all he’ll say is that “the first 30 minutes of Zack and Miri has more laughs per minute than any of Smith’s films thus far.” Other than trying to sound like a poster quote, that’s pretty positive and awesome to hear, since um, well, Kevin Smith has made a few funny movies in his day.
Fanboy favorite Kevin Smith is currently working on what could become his most mainstream hit to date by having Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks star as the title characters in Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
But will the word porno become a problem for potential moviegoers? Probably not as we have loads of other reasons to not go see movies in the theaters. Just look at the abysmal returns for Will Ferrell’s latest flick Semi-Pro. Regardless, USA Today gets down and dirty to find out.
“We’re just hoping that by the time the movie comes out, if the marketing people do their jobs right, it’s a word that people will kind of get over,” he says.
Industry analysts say Porno fits right in. “It’s one of the best titles of the year,” says Jeff Bock, an analyst with movie tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. “It sells the film for exactly what it is.” It helps, he notes, that Smith (Clerks, Dogma) has a dependable fan base. “They’ll follow him anywhere. I don’t think anything is too risqué for Kevin Smith fans.”
But that base is somewhat limited; Smith’s films tend to gross $20 million to $30 million. (Knocked Up brought in nearly $150 million.) With star-on-the-rise Rogen and the success of Knocked Up, “expectations are up for this particular film,” Bock says.
“What’s weird about it is, it’s dirty. But it’s so incredibly sweet,” Smith says, noting that Porno will be rated R (obviously, there’s no actual porn in it). Banks says grown-ups are mature enough for immature jokes. “These kinds of comedies, these sweet and sexy comedies, have all started to push the envelope. This movie takes it even further, that’s definitely true. But if you’re over 15 years old … you know what sex is, and in comedy you’re always trying to find those taboos that you can break for a laugh. Sex in America is a huge one.”
It’ll be interesting to see how this movie plays out. Afterall, something like this could make or break the appearance of Seth Rogen’s moviestar-ness and could possibly catapault Kevin Smith to greater heights.
Still, the story of two friends who make a porno to get out of financial troubles and end up falling in love sounds like a hipster formula for the rom-com.
By James Furbush | February 26th, 2008 | 5:34 am PST
And you thought it would end with Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Affleck after starting with Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon. But noooo…. If you order now you’ll get Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen.
To capitalize on this f*cking craze, director Kevin Smith has shot a video with the stars of his new movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno. We get Elizabeth Banks serenading Seth Rogen, with appearances by Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson and Craig Robinson.
And honestly, this might be funnier than the other two. The bit about “You know how I’m not gay?” just straight killed. Take the jump to watch or head over to Quick Stop Entertainment. MORE »
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