A Kevin Smith film is a warm embrace to me from an old friend. While there are those who have long dismissed the auteur as unserious, I consistently find his work to be compelling, emotional, and a genuine reflection of his creative spirit. More than that, Smith has a tendency that flies under the radar to defy expectations. Who would have guessed that Clerks III would tell the story it ultimately told? So, while a teen romantic comedy would seem like an opportunity for Smith to be as crude as ever, The 4:30 Movie is actually one of his sweetest flicks ever. I’m an easy mark for him, but regardless of that, I smiled and had a great time for about 90 minutes.
The 4:30 Movie is a love letter to the multiplex. It’s also a tribute to young love and summer romance. Smith doesn’t completely avoid going blue or working in raunch, but in many ways, it’s as pure and experience as we’ve seen from him since Jersey Girl. Even a raunchy effort like Zack and Miri Make a Porno was still covering up a huge mushy heart from the filmmaker, so here, he’s just letting it beat even more out in the open. He loves love, to be sure, but he also loves movie theaters.
Taking place in the summer of 1986, Brian David (Austin Zajur) has two plans for the day. One is to spend the Saturday afternoon like he always does, with best friends Belly (Reed Northrup) and Burny (Nicholas Cirillo) sneaking into multiple movies at their local theater. The other is to ask Melody Barnegat (Siena Agudong) on a date. One flirty yet awkward phone call later and she’s going to join him for a movie later on that day. There’s the slight hiccup of it being an R-rated film, but they’ll figure that out later. The important thing is Melody is coming and Brian is on cloud nine. Then, it’s time to join Belly and Burny for some theater-hopping.
When the self-important theater manager (Ken Jeong) bans one of the gang during their movie marathon, Brian’s plans are thrown for a loop. Whether it’s Melody’s overprotective mother (Kate Micucci), Brian’s own mom (Rachel Dratch) who calls the theater to talk to him, or any number of other occurrences, the world seems to be conspiring against Brian. He still believes in the possibility of summer love, which Burny takes issue with. In true teenage fashion, it all comes to a head before wrapping up in a surprisingly sweet manner. I was charmed throughout.
This cast is a mix of young up and comers in the bigger roles and celebrity cameos popping up throughout. Austin Zajur is the star and the Smith stand-in, doing a good job of suggesting the artist as a younger man. His chemistry with the odd Reed Northrup and too cool for school Nicholas Cirillo feels like that of real childhood friends. Zajur’s interactions with Siena Agudong are also a highlight, as they play off of each other very well. Agudong has an ethereal quality to her that’s well captured. Ken Jeong is having a lot of fun as an old-fashioned teen movie villain, while Rachel Dratch and Kate Micucci effectively play very different types of embarrassing parents. The aforementioned cameos include Logic, Method Man, Betty Aberlin, Jeff Anderson, Diedrich Bader, Jason Biggs, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Garman, Jason Lee, Justin Long, Jason Mewes, Adam Pally, Sam Richardson, Genesis Rodriguez, Harley Quinn Smith, and more.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith really mines his teenage years for material here, with the result being quite enjoyable. Fans will recall several of his stories from childhood popping up either as anecdotes or actually plot moments. It’s a nice quality that the script doesn’t require you to know them for these sequences to work. It’s just specificity that adds to the flavor of the broth. As for his direction, it remains simple, though shooting in the multiplex he used to frequent and now owns serves as inspiration, as well as smart budgeting. He’s also delighting in crafting both fake trailers and a fake movie that our heroes are watching. Those bits of creativity make The 4:30 Movie stand out even more so than it already does. At the same time, he never loses sight of the love story at its core. Sure, there are jokes about where film culture would be headed, but mostly, this is about a teen boy who wants to kiss a teen girl again.
The 4:30 Movie is a joyful burst of nostalgia and one of Smith’s sweetest efforts to date. Fans of the multi-hyphenate will get a kick out of this lark, without question. It’s such a lovely change of pace for him, while still showcasing all of his strengths. I had such a good time with it and I suspect that you will too. As Smith continues to explore his craft in new ways, I’m 100% here for it!
SCORE: ★★★1/2