The 4:30 Movie

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.

I really enjoyed this movie. The cast is a mix of unexpectedly good newcomers and funny cameos from regulars in Kevin's movies. There is a sweet side to the story that we haven't seen from Kevin since Jersey Girl and it works.

Austin Zajur gives a performance way above what you would expect and the cast has great chemistry.

I was lucky enough to get to watch this movie with Kevin at his place and it was an amazing evening. I'm going to see it again this weekend on the big screen.

The movie isn't drawn out or heavy and it is a great time. Highly recommended for anyone who grew up in that era or wished they did.

Put aside this is from director / writer Kevin Smith and judging 'The 4:30 Movie' on it's own merits you still don't come back with much to show for it. Very few laughs, slightly annoying characters and knee deep life sentiment as the plot charts a course of young romance. A downward trajectory of a man who once made witty comedies continues via tired inspiration.

New Jersey teen Brian (Austin Zajur) rekindles with his crush Melody (Siena Agudong) as plans are made to sneak into the 4:30 showing of a R-rated film together (hence the title). In the meanwhile, he hangs out with his best friends on route to a day at the movies. Here friendships and a possible relationship will be tested by egomaniac manager Mike (Ken Jeong).

I'll give a cast of young actors credit for making their characters feel down to earth if nothing else. However a story tracing the directors early life is equal parts cliched and meandering. With nothing new to say, very few comedy setups it has the entertainment factor of an afterschool special and about as much emotional depth as one too.

This isn't about the 80's neither. Ditto society's affection for going to the movies (kids are sneaking into films they didn't pay for, but hey that's okay?). What does it have to say about growing up or interactions with the opposite sex? Nothing you haven't saw or heard done better. It's coda? Awfully close to self-aggrandizing as in "Here's my life! Look at me! I made it in Hollywood after all!".

A lot of critics think 'The 4:30 Movie' is a move in the right direction for Smith and I couldn't disagree more. This was a tale in boredom and eventually I gave up hope it would get better. A handful of cameos don't elevate things. With nothing insightful, no killer dialog and few laughs the hardcore fans are saying this is a return to form. It really ain't.

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.

Iconic writer / director Kevin Smith's '80s-based autobiographical "The 4:30 Movie" (prequelling his "Clerks" trilogy) spans a pivotal day in teen Austin Zajur's life that doesn't run smooth after he planned spending it with buds Reed Northrup & Nicholas Cirillo (and crush Siena Agundong) at douche Ken Jeong's cinema. Its light dramedy is laced with ample movie-nerd references, fun fake film trailers, and cameos from Smith faves like Justin Long, Rosario Dawson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Jason Biggs, & Harley Quinn Smith (his daughter). While not matching the similarly themed "I Like Movies", Smith fans (including all fellow cinephiles, right?) will for sure adore it.