The 4:30 Movie

Brian David is in love with Melody Barnegat and asks her out to catch a 4:30 show of Bucklick, an R rated comedy film. He hadn't spoken to her for an year after he had got too scared while making out with her in the pool. She has decided to give him another chance but Brian's best friend Burny is not at all happy with this development as he along with Belly wanted to do theater hopping all day. Things take a turn when Belly is banned for life by egotistic theater manager yet they sneak him in. Their day's plan gets to be reshuffled to accommodate Melody but things take the worse turn when all 3 get banned. How does Brian and Melody's date turn out to be on this messy day? How does the friendship triumph over the egotistical manager? How the movies play an impactful role in all of this, forms rest of the story.

Kevin Smith has once again reached out to his actual comfort zone to deliver yet another film that is instantly relatable. For someone who loves movies, sharing that emotion with his audience and connecting with it, isn't much of a challenge. This might not be Clerks or Mallrats, the characters still drive the story and they do the trick. Belly eats his up his big moment and it works really well. All the nostalgic film references and ofcourse overly repetitive jokes about films and celebs' future while knowing the predictions turn exactly opposite, are still fun. The simple story of theater hopping and the aim to make it to the 4:30pm show with constant challenges thrown in the form of the theater manager while emphasising on the friendship as well as first love, Kevin Smith is at ease in terms of making. In the end, that little conversation between Brian and Usher, is what truly stayed with me - we are filmmakers, we just haven't made our movie yet. For all movie lovers, it is worth catching The 4:30pm Movie.

"4:30" is Kevin Smith's latest addition to his filmography, and it presents an interesting mix of elements that might leave audiences divided. The film revolves around its leads, who, while undoubtedly central to the narrative, come off as insufferable at times. It's a shame that Smith seems to struggle with creating truly likable characters, especially when compared to his earlier works where his characters resonated deeply with audiences.

In contrast, where "4:30" truly shines is in its side characters. These supporting roles inject much-needed charm and depth into the movie, saving it from becoming a complete letdown. It's in these moments and interactions that the film finds its rhythm and provides some enjoyable and watchable scenes.

While "4:30" may not reach the same heights as some of Smith's earlier classics, it still manages to surpass the last few lackluster entries in his filmography. There's a sense of improvement evident in this movie, a glimmer of the filmmaker revisiting his strengths and rediscovering what made his earlier works so beloved.

Despite its flaws, "4:30" offers a glimpse of Smith returning to form, albeit with some hiccups along the way. The pacing, dialogue, and character development may not be as polished as fans would hope for, but there's a raw honesty to the storytelling that is hard to ignore.

In conclusion, "4:30" is a mixed bag. While the leads may come across as insufferable and the writing lacking its past charm, the film is buoyed by strong performances from its side characters and an overall improvement in quality compared to Smith's recent endeavors. It might not be a perfect movie, but it shows promise and hints at a potential return to form for the filmmaker. With a rating of 5/10 stars, "4:30" is worth a watch for fans of Kevin Smith, but it may leave some wishing for more of the magic that defined his earlier works.

It seems Kevin is afraid of himself.

Let me explain, we got a bit of the old Kev back in Clerks III, with great dialogs, tons of laughter and an elegance and profoundness to the lines that rivaled his early work.

It wasn't Red State (by far Smith's undefeated Magnum Opus) but at least it looked like he was starting to come back.

And then we get this movie that while cute, it felt like it was afraid of having an edge. 3 or 4 jokes cut through but the rest? Geez...

There's only so much that cameos can do if you don't have anything to say. And Kevin Smith does t seem to have anything important to say... or he's afraid to say anything at all.

Does he think they're going to mock him? Does he think the audience will not "get it"?

He was on his way to be a great writer and a great filmmaker, and for the most part I think he still can be. But he needs to get out of his own way, dig deep and say what he really wants to say.

That or he ran out of things to talk about because he has been podcasting for more than a decade.

Watch the movie for completionism. But that's about it.

Couldn't sit through the 2nd half of the movie, except of one joke where a character wishes death upon another was the only moment that made me giggle, other than that everything was so unnatural and cringe, not even guest appearances of Justin Long nor Jason Lee could have saved it. Clerks and Mallrats fans stay away and rather go see Chasing Amy on a loop, this is borderline criminal on pair with his Yoga Hosers attempts at humor. I dont know what the cause behind this trend, age? Times of political correctness? If that's the case I would appreciate more attempts in vein of Tusk and Red State going forward. Stick to horror genre Kevin. Thanks your fan.

A very short movie that is padded with homages for movies from the past that never existed - can you really not play any trailers from real movies from the past you can make fun of? What's with the fake trailers? What was the point? Just to vaguely bring some nostalgia to the table and satirise the quality of the movie scene in the 80s.

And once again, Kevin Smith finds himself to use his movie as a platform to criticise other movies or franchises...basically if a letterboxed user was a director. This is what it would come out. Does anybody have Kevin Smith's user on here?

The actors have their limited charm in this, but they were the correct choices. This is thin and forgettable.