Arka Mukhopadhyay
Helmed by prolific indie director Kevin Smith, ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’ is a fresh addition to the worn-out sex comedy genre. The film follows its titular pair as they opt to shoot low-budget porno flicks to pay their bills. Featuring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks (both of whom previously worked together in ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’) in the lead roles, the film brings out a compelling enough story driven by a 90s tinted nostalgia.
While the film received a mixed reception from fans and critics upon its release, it definitely has some good qualities that cannot be overlooked. The story never goes ‘Harold & Kumar’ crazy and includes some truly heartfelt moments between deliberately bawdy and awkward episodes. However, if you are asking whether the film is tethered to reality, we have got you covered.
Is Zack and Miri Make a Porno Based on a True Story?
No, ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’ is not based on a true story. But it is pertinent to note that while the titillating aspects of the story are most possibly fabrications, the story is penned by Kevin Smith himself, with some aspects of it being based on his own life experiences. While the idea of a porn industry-inspired film lurked in the director’s mind from the early 90s, the finished project came to be something else altogether.
Initially, the director wanted the film to be a follow-up to his 1997 romantic comedy ‘Chasing Amy.’ Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee were expected to reprise their chemistry from the earlier film in another exploration into the View Askewniverse fandom of Kevin Smith. However, the project was later abandoned, while ‘Dogma’ took its place. Also, in 1997, the director came up with the idea of a TV series called ‘Hiatus,’ the story of which would revolve around a man leading a double life as a porn star. However, this kind of material would be too controversial for national television; the project was scrapped. After finishing ‘Clerks II,’ the director finally began working on ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno.’
As indicated earlier, the film was partially inspired by Smith’s own experiences in making his first feature-length venture, ‘Clerks.’ Smith is a prolific independent voice of America known for his branded comedy and thematic eccentricities. ‘Clerks’ was reportedly filmed on a shoestring budget, with some help from Smith’s close friends, including Jason Mewes (Lester) and Jeff Anderson (Deacon). In the absence of professional equipment, the amateur production crew had to use a hockey stick as a microphone pole, a scene that has been reiterated in ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno.’
After all, during the shooting of ‘Swallow My Cockuccino’ scene 12 act 1, one of the crew members, Barry, is seen to be moving awkwardly in and out of the frame holding a makeshift microphone pole made with a hockey stick. Smith also had to film most of ‘Clerks’ in his workplace, the Quick Stop, which figures as the Bean ‘N’ Gone café in ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno.’ Like Zack, Smith had to schedule filming at night since the place would be open for business in the daytime.
In the final moments of the film, Delaney comes across a huge chunk of money following the settlement of a disability suit, which he invests in his film production agency. Like Delaney, the director also inherited a fair sum of money from an insurance claim following the destruction of his car in a flood. With the money, he was able to partially fund his indie project ‘Clerks.’ So, evidently, while ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’ is not a real story, it does make use of reality to further its idiosyncrasies.
Read More: Where Was Zack and Miri Make a Porno Filmed?
