Waiting: Do not mess with your waiter or waitress!

Ah the gross-out comedy, some say it peaked with the first American Pie in 1999 and every imitator that was released since then (including all the American Pie sequels) pales in comparison to that ground breaking film. But there are a few gross-out comedies out there which offer more than another inter-pastery erotic moment or one more perky foreign exchange student who likes nerds, one of which is Waiting.

Dean works with a group of colorful characters at a restaurant called Shenanigan’s. But when he gets offered an assistant manager position there he questions whether he should take the position, or pursue something else with his life.

The guy who provided the most laughs in this clever comedy was Ryan Reynolds as the cool, smarmy waiter Monty. With a witty retort for every situation, he was the standout in a talented ensemble cast. An while the movie could have done without some of the characters, specifically T-Dog and Nick, for they never contributed anything to the film as a whole and frankly they were irritating (hasn’t the faux white boy gangsta stereotype been done enough already?) what saved it from being just another in the growing line of gross-out comedies was Dean’s (played by Justin Long) story. It was one that most young people deal with (the desire to do something more with their lives) on a regular basis. This kept the film grounded in some reality, instead of being concerned strictly with making the audience squirm everytime “the game” was played by the male employees. Waiting was a treat for those people who work in the food service industry as well as those of us who rely on them every time we head out to eat. It was also a gentle reminder to consumers to have respect for the people who handled their food, lest it ends up being “taken care of” like it was for one annoying customer in the film.

Grade: B

Zack and Miri Make a Porno: That's right, a movie about a porno

If there is one director whose films I will rush out to see no questions asked, it would have to be Kevin Smith. Somehow his profanity-laced, pop culture referencing comedies connect with me and not only make me roll on the floor laughing my butt off, but also make me take stock of human relationships and all of those things (good and bad) that affect them. And while his latest film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, delivers on the laughs, the deeper emotional touchtones are missing.

Zack and Miri are best friends who are struggling to get by. But after a fortuitous meeting at their 10 year high school reunion they come up with a plan to solve their financial issues, they'll make a porno. However they both discover that once the camera starts rolling, things become a little more complicated than they expected.

Some people become nervous when they hear the word "porno" in a film title and while there is a fair amount of nudity and sexual situations in "Zack and Miri" that should not prevent one from checking it out. In fact, Smith used the "staged" sex scenes between Lester (the always hilarious Jason Mewes) and Stacey as a counterpoint to the tender, more personal sex scene between Zack and Miri. It's obvious that Lester and Stacey were simply playing parts in a film so their sex scenes become almost comical whereas Zack and Miri, while trying to convince themselves that it was all for the movie, had deeper emotions attached to the act. Speaking of those two, Seth Rogen (Zack) and Elizabeth Banks (Miri) shared a great chemistry on screen. Their dynamic relationship propelled the story and their discussions (on subjects ranging from the proper title for their porno to the differences between male and female sex toys) were hilarious. More hilarious than those two however was Justin Long as Brandon St. Randy, the catalyst that inspired Zack to his pornographic business plan. All the character benefitted from the script which contained the type of dialogue Kevin Smith is known for.

Where the movie failed was in getting the audience completely invested in Zack and Miri's romance. Their actions and reactions after the on-screen tryst, as well as their prior personal history needed to be expanded upon. Yes, they have been best friends since elementary school, so how about some flashbacks to key moments in that friendship where romance which could have blossomed was cut short. Not only was their relationship mishandled but the ending felt rushed and almost too easy. It seemed as though Smith (or, more likely, the studio) just gave up after an hour and a half and plopped down the ending they thought everyone in the audience would like to see.

Still, Zack and Miri Make a Porno provided the kinds of laughs few comedies deliver anymore.

Grade: B