I Want Porno

I had been anxiously awaiting this past Tuesday since I found out that Zack and Miri Make a Porno would drop on DVD that day. Being a huge Kevin Smith fan, I made sure I caught this flick during its opening weekend in theaters, and I wasn't disappointed at all. It was full of smart, witty dialogue, likeable characters, and a believable enough story ... as Kevin Smith's work always is. And best of all, it had BOOBS! 

So, I took a trip to the local Walmart on Tuesday afternoon to grab a copy. Once there, I made my way toward the back of the store where the electronics section is found, and sure enough there it was: an entire shelf of Zack and Miri DVDs ... all of which were conveniently missing the words "Make a Porno."

I'll be honest. I half expected this to happen. There was quite a bit of uproar over the title back when the film was about to be released in theaters. Apparently the word "porno" is a "dirty word," and a number of people were uncomfortable watching it appear on their television screens during commercial spots for the movie. This, of course, resulted in many of the commercials being edited to remove this filthy word from the movie title. Many newspapers also refused to run ads for the film with or without the complete title. And a few theaters even refused to screen the movie altogether.

Sadly, this uproar contributed to subpar box office numbers for what could have, and should have, been a big money maker for The Weinstein Company. Rumor has it that the Weinsteins gave this movie the greenlight based on the title alone ... the same title that would get practically banned as the movie neared its release date.

After such a fuss was put up about the title before its theatrical release, it was only natural that this would carry over to the DVD release as well. Leaving this part of the title out is for the greater good of mankind. Right? After all, what kind of world would we be living in if the word "porno" was allowed to be used in a movie title. In fact, I probably need to quit saying "that word" here, otherwise they'll be coming in here trying to censor this post. So, to keep them off my back, I'll be referring to the flick as Zack and Miri Make a Fuck Movie for the remainder of this writing.

As you've probably figured out by now, I wasn't at all happy about what I found, or didn't find, when I visited Walmart on Tuesday and, accordingly, I left the store without even purchasing a copy of the DVD. I ran into the same problem when I went to Target the next day, which I fully expected after my failed Walmart trip. Finally, on my third attempt, Best Buy came through for me. Their version of the DVD had the complete title and, thanks to them, Zack and Miri Make a Fuck Movie is now a part of my movie collection.

Why am I making such a big deal out of a few little words? It's the same reason I only buy widescreen movies: That's the way the movie was originally meant to be. It's that simple.

As for the DVD itself, I highly recommend picking it up if you haven't done so already. Kevin Smith and the guys at View Askew are known for putting together some kick-ass DVDs. Look no further than the Clerks: 10th Anniversary and the Mallrats: 10th Anniversary DVDs for proof of this. And, as expected, they did a great job with Zack and Miri Make a Fuck Movie as well.

It contains 2 discs. Obviously, the movie is on the first disc, but along with that comes 43 deleted and extended scenes. Yes, 43 extra scenes! "Wow!" was my first reaction also. The second disc includes loads of behind-the-scenes featurettes, such as a "Making Of", outtakes and bloopers, and an improv battle between Seth Rogen and Justin Long (definitely worth a watch), amongst other cool shit. 

Like I said before, if you don't already have this DVD, head out to Best Buy and pick it up. I can almost guarantee that you won't be disappointed. In fact, if you are disappointed then there's something wrong with you that only years and years of therapy will straighten out. OR you're one of those people that got scared shitless when you saw the word "porno" on your television screen. Either way, you fail.