April 12: 412 Day — A movie about Pittsburgh (if you’re not from here that’s our area code). Or maybe one made here. Heck, just write about Striking Distance if you want. Here’s a list.

Kevin Smith made two movies in Pittsburgh, this and Dogma. Well, this is Monroeville, but yeah, Pittsburgh. The director and writer had the idea wince the 90s and wanted it to be a follow up to Chasing Amy. It was almost a series called Hiatus that would have starred Jason Lee as a porn star who came back home. Also: That isn’t the Civic Arena, it’s the Rostraver Ice Garden but is now the cfsbank Event Center but everyone in town is still going to call it by its old name long after it changes its name all over again.

Zack Brown (Seth Rogan) and Miriam “Miri” Linky (Elizabeth Banks) are best friends since first grade, roommates and both work in Monroeville (she’s at the mall, yes, that mall and he’s at a coffee shop which is really a Dairy Queen in real Monroeville life). They have no money and the power gets shut off at their house before their high school reunion, where Miri learns that her crush Bobby Long (Brandon Routh) is dating adult star Brandon St. Randy (Justin Long). When they get home, they also discover that two teenagers shot a video of Miri changing that went viral because she wears bloomers. This gives Zack the idea that they should make an adult movie.

Working with a producer named Delaney (Craig Robinson), they start making a parody, Star Whores, before they get all their equipment stolen. That means that they have to use the surveillance camera at Zack’s work to make their next idea, Swallow My Cockuccino. All of the adult actors have porn sex; Zack and Miri make love, which weirds them out. She also gets upset when he sleeps with another actress, Stacey (Katie Morgan). When it comes time for Miri to do a scene with Lester (Jason Mewes), he tells her he loves her. She says nothing and he disappears.

Of course, Zack never slept with that girl and she never slept with that boy and they get together. But you knew that.

Smith said of the movie, “I was depressed, man. I wanted that movie to do so much better. I’m sitting there thinking, that’s it, that’s it, I’m gone, I’m out. The movie didn’t do well and I killed Seth Rogen’s career! This dude was on a roll until he got in with the likes of me. I’m a career killer! Judd’s going to be pissed, the whole Internet’s going to be pissed because they all like Seth, and the only reason they like me anymore is because I was involved with Seth! And now I fuckin’ ruined that. It was like high school. I was like, “I’m a dead man. I’ll be the laughing stock.”” Supposedly, the Weinstein Company’s lack of selling the movie caused their relationship to end. Smith saw himself as a failure and din’t work for some time after this.

Well, at least it’s very Pittsburgh. Zack plays hockey for the Monroeville Zombies, Tom Savini is in it and one of the adult stars, Bubbles, is played by Traci Lords who is from Steubenville, which is close. Smith has seen a lot of porn, because her scene at the end references one of her last films before it was discovered that Lords was underage, New Wave Hookers.