Zach and Miri Make a Porno

What if Bowfinger was a porno? Kevin Smith is really a romantic at heart and this silly, simple movie hit all the right romantic notes. It’s firmly rooted in that fantasyland where a doofus like Seth Rogen actually has a chance with Elizabeth Banks. There is no AIDS. And the ensemble of supporting misfits, a necessity of the genre, aren’t sleazy porn people, but lovable and sincere. The only thing slightly realistic is the language. Let’s be honest, this is really the way people talk. Anybody who pretends to be offended is a liar. But Smith and company really try for a theme: respect the reasons why someone loves you and honor them. If someone loves you for your good qualities, don’t forego those qualities just to prove to someone you don’t love them. There’s no reason to live up to impossible expectations, just embrace the good qualities of yourself; the things that make people love you. Smith is cozy in this milieu and tells his best stories here. And I firmly believe that the most romantic movies these days aren’t the Richard Gere/Diane Lane kissing on the beach movies, but the frank, hard “R” sex comedies. Forgetting Sara Marshal, Choke, and this. This is where the bravest and truest things are being said about love.