It is not the plot that makes the film work so much as the dialogue that Kevin Smith has given his characters. The screenplay is peppered with all manner of vulgarities — you can probably count on one hand the number of lines that do not include a vulgarity of some sort. To some it may seem to be just a touch gratuitous, but I do not. I am reminded of a line from A Christmas Story: the older Ralphie is speaking of his father when he says, "He worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master."
Smith paints the screen in vulgarities in such a way that he may still believe they are shocking. Of course, they aren't. Now, I do not actually believe he still thinks they are shocking, but he brings them together in such a way and at such a rapid fire pace as to elevate them beyond mere words, almost to the level of poetry. There are few writers and/or directors that can paint the screen in profanity and raise it above the shock level to a more artistic level. He takes the F-bombs (and its multitude variations) and injects them liberally into a story that has a high emotional quotient. Yes, at the core of Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a big heart.
As our intrepid group of porn entrepreneurs try to deal with the hardships of making the movie (some details which have reportedly been mined from Smith's own experiences from making his debut film Clerks), Zack and Miri are forced to confront the genuine feelings that have developed between them over the years. You know how everyone says sex complicates things? That was never more true than it is right here. The act of sex proves to be a driving factor in dragging these two into the next stage of their lives. Again, not complicated, not unforeseen, but in the hand of Kevin Smith, supremely moving and heartfelt. Of course, it is not only about Smith, but the interesting chemistry that Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks have with each other.
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