THE PREMISE:

"A group of teens in the 1980s spend the day theater-hopping." 

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

Kevin Smith’s The 4:30 Movie is his most sincere project in years, tackling a semi-autobiographical tale of a teen finally asking his crush, Melody Barnegat (Siena Agudong) out to the movies. It’s sweet, smart and most importantly moving. Each and every character is perfectly cast, with Austin Zajur at the lead who truly holds his own as the film's leading man. Brian David (Zajur), Belly (Reed Northrup) and Burny (Nicholas Cirillo) possess a genuine connection as best friends, with an undeniable chemistry between the trio that makes it impossible not to think they are solid outside the realm of this film. 

Filmed during the SAG-AFTRA strike of 2023, Smith was able to utilize Smodcastle Cinemas (a cinema Smith co-owns) and was granted a waiver by the Screen Actors Guild to shoot his latest independent film. While I’m an advocate for really anything this man makes (apart from a singular title), it was nice to have a film not have any relation to the universe he’s built in the past. This is a story told with a remarkable level of heart and that’s mainly because it truly came from the director's own. 

As a View Askew Production you can expect the familiar faces that Smith’s films have become known for, this time keeping the same actors but none of them reprising their iconic roles (so no Jay and Silent Bob this time ‘round). Some of these faces in fact make for some of the biggest laughs of the film, especially one featuring an actor known for one of Smith’s more divisive horror escapades.  

What I love about this film beyond just the pure comradery that these friends have is the solid and simple romantic influence the film holds. It’s a film about a first date and finally taking the risk of asking that one person out you’ve been mentally wanting to for a long while. It's a teen comedy that doesn’t need an over abundance of crude humor to make it a memorable experience, the film is immediately a comfort film for years to come due to the realistic connection between the characters and just the simple concept of having it all set almost entirely within a movie theater. As a film lover, who hasn’t dreamed of being able to just hang out at the cinema all day with friends and this film is a full embodiment of that. 

The 4:30 Movie is without a doubt Kevin Smith at his absolute best. The film plays incredibly sincere and is a delight from start to finish as you watch this semi-autobiographical tale of Smith’s be told. One or two scenes don’t quite fit as the narrative would have liked, but this is Smith pouring his heart out into a project and it shows! This is surely a film that will become an instant classic for many —- when you hear the name Kevin Smith in years to come it’ll be difficult not to include this film among his other classics.