Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Piss People Off

Chances are, you’ve seen ads for the upcoming R-rated Kevin Smith comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno, starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. However, you may be seeing a whole lot less of them before the film hits theaters on October 31 as several network and cable channels, newspapers and other media outlets begin pulling its advertising for its use of the word porno, which is apparently too damned filthy for some people.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that Fox Sports received complaints from viewers after running Zack and Miri ads during L.A. Dodgers games in September and promptly dropped them. Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch told the AP that one viewer was shocked to see one of the ads come on while he was watching a game with his son.

"He was explaining to his son what a squeeze bunt was. Commercial break, the ad comes on, and the kid asks, `Dad, what does porno mean?'" Rawitch said. "Dodgers baseball has always been about family, and we've always been sensitive to the type of advertising that runs on our games."

Here’s an easy answer: “It’s a movie for grown-ups.” End of story. I understand the importance of protecting children from negative influences, but let’s be honest—most prime-time advertising is not aimed at children and it’s really up to parents to contextualize any information that their kids are exposed to. Can we no longer have advertising for beer, liquor or pills to treat erectile dysfunction? Those’ll require some explaining as well.

Diane Levin, a child development specialist at Boston’s Wheelock College, said she believes that the advertising for the film is sending the message to children that pornography is an acceptable career choice.

"It's drawing attention to a movie which is mainstreaming and normalizing pornography, saying if you need money, this is what you do,” Levin told the AP. It’s like all that advertisement for The Dark Knight, which was a blatant attempt to mainstream vigilante crimefighting, being serious and punching people in clown makeup. Can’t movies be movies anymore? Do they all have to be teaching tools, even if they’re in no way marketed toward impressionable young minds? Will we soon no longer be able to include the words sex, kill or war in our film titles because they might raise questions among the under-10 set?

New advertising will eliminate the movie’s name entirely, reading, "Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks made a movie so outrageous that we can't even tell you the title." It’s not a bad compromise, but I’d hate to see this controversy tank what may be one of Smith’s best films.

At least I’m not squeamish about the title. Learn all about Zack and Miri Make a Porno at its official site by clicking here.