Zack and Miri Make a @%$^*

PornoZack and Miri Make a Porno is having a hard time mentioning its name in ad space. The word “porno” is being deemed offensive and causing all sorts of problems in some locations, and for some media outlets. We get the following skinny from the orgy caves of Yahoo:

Some newspaper, TV and outdoor ads for Smith’s comedy “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” have been rejected because of their content or the five-letter word that ends the title, said Gary Faber, head of marketing for the Weinstein Co., which is releasing the film.

Among those refusing to carry ads are about 15 newspapers and several TV stations and cable channels, Faber said. Commercials for the film during Los Angeles Dodgers games on Fox Sports were dropped at the team’s request after some viewers complained, said Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch.

I personally don’t see the problem with the word “Porno” on a poster, but can see how parents may not be thrilled when their kid catches a glimpse of the poster and asks “what’s a porno”. This happened at a Dodgers game and was one of the reasons changes were made there. For the full account of how that exchange went down please check out the source article.

I’m all for freedom to do and say whatever you want, and I don’t think adults should dedicate their lives to the protection of innocence. However, I do think that it is prudent and appropriate to let kids be kids and let them figure out naughty time by themselves as nature demands. We do have a hyper sexualized adspace and if I was a parent I would certainly be concerned and protective of my youngsters against the marketers that desire to hasten the whoredom of my offspring. If I was a parent, this poster may be cause for alarm, but as someone who doesn’t have kids – it doesn’t.

This is probably becoming tougher to market than anyone expected. They could always have the poster look like a DVD cover with the non de-script brown packaging peeled back to reveal “Zack and Miri” (with Make a Porno under the wrapper still). People who have seen porno would understand that the plain wrapper is for privacy.

What do you guys think? Should people settle down, or do parents have a point. What poster ideas do you have that may please everyone?

The above post was written by Doug Nagy

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21 thoughts on “Zack and Miri Make a @%$^*

  1. If asked, parents should just explain to their kids that pornos are movies only for adults/grown-ups. Done! The kids have an answer and they can get back to watching Zoey 101 getting pregnant at 15 or a little boy oggling and wiggling his eyebrows at over-developed teenaged girls on Hannah Montana.

    Kids should be informed to a point, but if they’re still watching Blues Clues then feed them a vague but truthful answer, not a stupid one. If no one makes a big deal out of this around kids, kids will lose interest and move on.

  2. As a parent I think this ridiculous. Why can’t a parent look at their child and say, “Porno is a another word for an adult film.” or “It’s an adult word I will explain to you when you’re older.” or god forbid actually have a conversation with their kid! (depending on age, of course)
    Sadly many parents have a problem talking about anything sexual because it is a taboo topic, so instead of a healthy discussion magazines and TV and gossip among friends educate their kid on the topic.

  3. The most obvious way out for me, would be to produce some advertisments with the Zack and Miri part spoken through voice-over and the line “make a porno” left out. Anyone familiar with the film would know what is going on, but the word porno would not be shown and prblems averted.

    Unless the word “porno” is deemed key to the marketability of the film.

  4. Sorry, when did “pornography” – the technical term for “adult” films, with all its righteous and judgemental undertones – become a swear word? I don’t buy the “daddy, what’s a porno” argument either, part of parenting is working out how to answer that kind of question. And don’t get me started on the sex vs. violence double standard… maybe they should call it Zack And Miri Make A Pencil Disappear Into A Mobster’s Eye Socket!

  5. I gotta agree with Jeremy. Use it to the best of your advertising capabilities, and people will see how stupid it was to cover it up…

    Personally, I think it’s ok for the word to be used, if not displayed during “kiddie tv time”. If it’s late night, well, by all means, but if you’re putting it on during 8:30am Sat morning cartoons, something’s wrong with you! But then again, there’s a lot wrong with the USA these days, so I’m stuck on what to do…

  6. I’m noticing quite a bit of hypocracy being noted in these comments. Porno is bad but sex is ok. Britney is ok to watch because she’s wearing at least some clothes in her videos. Our country is so very confused… is this the slippery slope we were warned of?

  7. I think it’s strange because right under this post is the review for SEXdrive. Why arn’t you allowed to put “porno” in your poster when you can put “sex” in it.

  8. This kind of fuss I think helped out ‘The Spy Who Shagged Me’ 9 years ago. It was on the news and stuff here in fussy old England.

    You could have a detachable piece of paper to cover ‘RNO’ with ‘NY’

    Zack and miri maker a PONY

    lovely stuff.

  9. I do not see what the big deal is, but if I had to change it up a bit on advertisements and posters then I would go for straight up overkill just to emphasize the stupidity of having to change it. I am talking posters having giant ass “Censored” boxes covering the word porno and in audio clips have loud ass beeps to cover up the word porno when spoken and make sure the word porno is spoken minimum of ten times during the ad. That is just me though. Stick it to em. You think saying or having the word porno is bad, wait til the kids imaginations start going wild filling in the beeps and censored blocks of text. :D

  10. There’s a very easy solution to this. If your kid asks “what’s a porno?”, all you need to say is “I don’t know.” Most of the times I’ve tried that, it’s worked.

  11. This sounds to me like a case of parents not wanting to have a hand in the “RESPONSIBILITY” that they signed up for when they had a child in the first place. They should be open with their children and help them to learn things. The child will hear/see the word somewhere eventually and may not be open to asking the parent and thus have to find out possible missinformation from someone else.

    This is a sad, sad thing.

  12. But most of these parent let their kids stay up late to watch the Brittney video premire on 20/20

    I saw the TV ad last night and it lookedtamer than half the crapyou see on tv. This isjust unfair targeting of Smith because he laid most of the “righeteous right” to waste with Dogma

    “Apparently you ain’t Parents” –Eminem–

  13. Lets see PORNO.PORNP.PORNO.PORNO.PORNO.PORNO.PORNO.PORNO. Dont see anything wrong with saying that or looking at it. They can change the name of the movie to Zack and Miri make a happy late nite movie you can watch by yourself with cocoa butter lotion.

  14. soooo….half naked sluts in jeans that entice your children to behave slutty at the bus stop is fine, but putting the word ‘porno’ in slutty helvetica is bad??

    i’m going back to sleep.

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