Kevin Smith gets far too much hatred these days. Sure, the writer/director is willfully immature and has been making movies with the same characters for over a decade…but well, that was always part of his style. Smith and his iconic debut feature Clerks played a major role in defining the MTV slacker generation. If Smith had suddenly become overcome with wild ambition he would have gone against the very thing that defines his style. The many critics dismiss Smith’s lack of growth probably never really enjoyed his filmmaking anyways and just jumped on the Clerks bandwagon to appear cool to the kids (I mean, according to the critics Chasing Amy is Smith’s best film… gimme a break).

The Kevin Smith hate reached a fever pitch with Jersey Girl and undeniable failure in which Smith made the mistake of not playing to his strengths. The critical community felt it proved that Smith had lacked the ability films outside of his ViewAskewinverse. The underrated Clerks 2 was generally regarded as proof of this fact even though the movie showed a maturation in Smith as a filmmaker that was almost completely ignored. Now he’s made Zack And Miri Make A Porno, a film that moves out of Smith’s comfort zone of in-jokes without sacrificing a single laugh. The movie has already caused a shitstorm of controversy in the U.S. for its title alone (it’s too bad that nobody infuriated with the movie has actually seen it. They might be surprised by how inoffensive it is). While Zack And Miri might not be Smith’s best film, it does instantly qualify as one of the best things he’s ever put his name on.

The title sums up the plot fairly succinctly, but for the purpose of movie review convention, I’ll dive into a synopsis anyways. Seth Rogen stars as Zack, an aging slacker who lives in a cheap apartment with his longtime platonic friend Miri (the very underrated Elizabeth Banks). Zack and Miri haven’t exactly been taking the world by storm since high school and now work dead end jobs that pay so little that they can barely afford rent. After a high school reunion serves as a wake up call to remind Zack and Miri how far they’ve fallen, the pair decide to make some fast cash. And in the age of digital cameras and the internet, they decide make money the easiest way possible: they fuck on camera.

Rogen and Banks soon recruit the likes of Craig Robinson (sleazy producer), Jeff Anderson (cameraman), and Jason Mewes (porn star) to make their pornographic dreams a reality. What follows are a series of hilarious adventures about the creation of their amateur adult film as well as a surprisingly touching love story for Zack and Miri. The cast is pitch-perfect from top to bottom. Smith has cherry picked the perfect team-Apatow cast members to flesh out his porno-epic. Seth Rogen struts out his stoner everyman persona again and as always does it flawlessly (I’m sure I’ll grow tired of his shtick soon, but right now it’s working just fine). Elizabeth Banks once again proves to be a fine comedienne in her first leading role. The underrated actress finally gets to fulfill the promise she showed in small roles in films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Wet Hot American Summer (about time!). Craig Robinson also steals ever scene he’s in and View Askew stalwarts Jeff “Randal” Anderson and Jason “Jay” Mewes bring the funny once again when finally allowed to escape from their oft-repeated Smith-penned roles. Even Canadian funny-man Kenny “Kenny Vs. Spenny” Hotz gets a small, but memorable role. This is easily the best cast Smith has ever assembled outside of Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back and much like that film, his script is only funnier when delivered by talented comedians.