ALMOST 20 years ago, Rob Reiner's seminal romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally… posed the age-old question: can men and women truly be friends without sex getting in the way?

For Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, carnal desires wrecked their characters' friendship, reducing a previously rock solid relationship to a morass of anger, regret and razor-sharp one-liners. Writer-director Kevin Smith considers the very same question in this hysterical relationship comedy, which is every bit as filthy-minded and profane as the title suggests. Yet for all the obscenities and perversity, Zack And Miri Make A Porno is incredibly sweet and romantic as it brings together two best friends who love one another - but don't yet realise it. This is truly a return to sparkling form for Smith; a spunky and salacious companion piece to Clerks and Chasing Amy that manages to walk and talk sex without seeming sleazy.

Characters are willing and impressively able participants in the sauciness, so we laugh with them not at them as they overcome budgetary restrictions and myriad misfortunes.