The director of “Chasing Amy” is ready to break new ground with his Zack and Miri characters who want to make a film that… reveals some skin.

Kevin Smith wrote his most recent movie, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” keeping in mind the performances of Seth Rogen in the side-splitting “Knocked Up” and “Pineapple Express.” Thus, he wrote Zack’s persona while having a clear image in his mind of the actor whose name he wanted to see on the top of the film’s cast list. And with Seth Rogen he can’t possibly go wrong.

With the actor’s clean and bright star energy, as well as his spiky bond with co-star Elizabeth Banks, “Zack and Miri” can actually aim at bringing Kevin Smith to the fore and transform his devoted offbeat viewers into mainstream.

At first, the Motion Picture Association of America assigned the movie the much-feared NC-17 rating, but the creators of Zack and Miri appealed the decision and won. However, things did not stop here. The film’s promotional posters were banned in the United States, as they were considered too daring, and producers were forced to conceive a new poster portraying stick figures above which a tag line reads, “Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks made a movie so titillating that we can only show you this drawing.” For some, nevertheless, not even these measures are good enough. Several newspapers and television stations have refused to promote the film, citing the raciness of the word “porno” included in its title.

“To have a bunch of people say you can't run these ads based on the title is crazy,” Kevin Smith told the San Francisco Gate in a phone interview. “The film is really not all that filthy. I mean, it lives up to its title, but to think it’s youth-destroying just because some kid will ask his parent what a ‘porno’ is ... what responsible parent can’t answer that question?”

In fact, “Zack and Miri” hides a rare touch of cuteness behind its more or less controversial heading, since the comedy is really agreeable and straight.

The two main characters are just a couple of old pals who find themselves in a personal economic crisis. Sounds familiar, right? Just what I thought. Zack (Seth Rogen), who works at a coffee shop, and Miri, who works at a clothing store, don’t have enough money to pay their rent and have to make out a way to get some funds… fast.

Thus, after a high school reunion where they discover that an ex colleague has become a successful gay-porn film director, Zack and Miri decide to give homemade porn a try.

As Zack would say, “Porn is mainstream now.”

The friendship between the two may actually take an unexpected turn, as Zack and Miri walk the path to your humorous and sentimental side. And who knows? Maybe the pair can take Kevin Smith one step closer to wide popularity.