Vinegary sex diluted with sweet sentiment

The extreme opposites within Kevin Smith's filmmaking personality coexist in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," to hit-and-miss effect.

A proliferation of raw, raunchy dialogue has always been one of the writer-director's preferred tactics, dating back to his pioneering 1994 debut, "Clerks," and that's certainly true this time, as well -- actually, it's more relevant than usual.

But "Zack and Miri" also reflects the sweetness that has crept intermittently into Smith's movies in recent years.

A guy and a girl, longtime best friends and roommates, realize they're secretly in love with each other, one of the most hackneyed romantic comedy premises of all time. Through Smith's skewed prism, though, Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) achieve this epiphany while having on-camera sex during an amateur adult movie, something they do out of desperation to pay the bills when their utilities get shut off during a miserable Pittsburgh winter.

The adolescent, graphic humor can become grating after a while, so the warmth that emerges is more than welcome. Not that we didn't see it coming from the very beginning, but Zack and Miri ultimately must confront the feelings for each other that they never knew they had -- naked, in front of strangers, beneath the merciless glare of lights and a camera.

- By Christy Lemire / The Associated Press

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Rating: Two and a half stars (out of 4)

Rated: R.

Running time: 101 minutes.

Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Traci Lords, Katie Morgan.

Director: Kevin Smith.