Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Kevin Smith's funniest movie in years is also his most disciplined, exhibiting accomplished directorial technique while eschewing the windy pop-culture dissertations of previous films. Smith recruited several members of the Judd Apatow stock company for Zack and Miri Make a Porno, in which best friends and longtime apartment roommates Zack Brown (Seth Rogen) and Miriam Linky (Elizabeth Banks) find themselves broke—without water and power—and decide to make a porno film to raise money. Zack and Miri have never been romantically attracted to one another, so the childhood buddies figure they can “perform” on camera without any emotional complications—an assumption that is, of course, quickly put to the test. Rogen and Banks are superb, serving up improvisational flourishes that enhance Smith's incessantly profane and occasionally awkward dialogue. Porn-flick legend Traci Lords and current adult-movie actress Katie Morgan also appear in key supporting parts, along with Apatow cronies Craig Robinson and Gerry Bednob, and Smith regulars Jason “Jay” Mewes and Jeff Anderson. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include 95 minutes worth of deleted scenes, the 75-minute “Popcorn Porn” making-of documentary, 48 minutes of “Money Shots” webisodes, a 23-minute featurette from the Comic-Con 2008, a “Seth vs. Justin: Battle for Improvisational Supremacy” featurette with costars Seth Rogen and Justin Long (8 min.), and outtakes, ad-libs, and bloopers (13 min. total), as well as trailers. Bottom line: a whopping extras package for a solid comedy.] (E. Hulse)