“For you, movies make life make sense.” Yes, we’re talking to you. And fine, maybe it’s also a poignant movie quote — from The 4:30 Movie, Kevin Smith’s new passion project of a feature that hits the masses this week. Sadly, you won’t see the charming New Jersey native on the big screen in this one, though Smith is certainly not done starring in movies. A third Jay & Silent Bob film is in the works, and as the hilarious trailer for The 4:30 Movie suggests, there will “probably” be a Clerks IV down the line, which could certainly feature a Silent Bob cameo. Why not?
In the meantime, soak up this innocent delight from Smith’s video store-generation mind, for it’s a purposeful and confident nod to the ’80s and also to Smith’s childhood and hometown, where the film is set. Heck, the real-life Smith even owns the cineplex where most of this movie was shot. How ’bout that?
And don’t let the film’s hard R-rating fool you, either. What could possibly be Smith’s tamest film to date can and should be enjoyed by the whole family, so long as the youngest is at least old enough to comprehend some sort of mildly raunchy jokes here and there. Smith has made some more groundbreaking indies in the past, though The 4:30 Movie reminds us of the power of understated stories as well.
A Young Cast and a Simple Premise… (And Justin Long)
Don’t you miss the days of sneaking into R-rated movies? That’s the gloriously simple premise of The 4:30 Movie, as its meta-vibing title hints at. The film follows a group of teenage friends, including one who is trying to get with the girl of his dreams (and watch a movie with her). Getting to an age where you no longer have to sneak in is sort of like turning 21 and not having to sweat the pressures of being carded with your (hypothetical) fake I.D. at the local bar or liquor store. Once the bouncers and cineplex employees stop batting an eye, a certain spark has come and gone.
Smith wisely embraces the glory days leading up to adulthood with his new passion project set in the summer of ’86, using a relatively new-to-the-scene cast to play the principal roles and reserving seasoned veterans like Jason Biggs and Rosario Dawson to play some entertaining cameos.
And watch out for Smith regular Justin Long’s knee-slapping showstopper of a scene inside the movie theater, opposite young protagonist Brian David (Austin Zajur), as they go off the cuff about Rocky IV. It was vintage movie reference-galore dialogue that helped shoot Smith to stardom, and it’s moments like these that help keep this little-indie-that-could afloat.
Kids with Nothing to Do but See the 4:30 Movie
Things kick into high gear once young & horny Brian musters the courage to ask out his crush Melody (the charming Siena Agudong) to see “the 4:30 movie” with him at the local theater. What’s the catch? Well, it’s a hard R-rated flick, of course, so Brian and his two bombastic pals, Belly (Reed Northrup) and Burny (Outer Banks star Nicholas Cirillo), decide they’re going to sneak in.
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Writer/director Kevin Smith burst onto the scene in a big way in 1994 with Clerks, introducing us to the cast of characters in his Askewniverse.
That means slithering past the self-important overseer of Jersey’s pristine institution, aka Manager Mike (the reliably hysterical Ken Jeong), who is perpetually scoffing at these three stooges, presumably scarred from past incidents. As an East Coast native, I can tell you first-hand that in certain small-town Jersey communities, there ain’t a whole lot to do as a kid other than to cause trouble at movie theaters or, say, shopping malls. Hey, maybe that’s why Smith once wrote and directed a movie called Mallrats, come to think of it.
Great Fake Trailers, Weak Familiar Beats
In the vain of Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle or Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse, Smith leans into his movie-theater premise and creates faux trailers that Brian, Belly, and Burny watch and comment on before the real show starts. Watch out for the uproarious preview for Sister Sugar Walls, to which Burny replies, “Oh, we’re definitely seeing that.” There’s also a local movie star they all adore named Major Murder (Sam Richardson, always chucklesome), who puts on a tough-guy facade for his popcorn flicks but might reveal later on that there’s more to the performer after a chance encounter with one of the boys.
Of course, their plans get complicated (and the plot gets redundant) as the boys get kicked out of the theater by Manager Mike again (and again). The 4:30 Movie falls into predictable coming-of-age beats, with a friend group bickering relentlessly to the point of potentially burned bridges. But Smith’s movies usually succeed at the end of the day due to the genuine amount of heart that’s able to shine through the dirty humor. And that comes in the form of Brian and Melody’s budding romance that their friends initially detest but might just warm up to by the end.
You can’t help but cheer for the ensemble as the absurdly eventful third act comes along, whether you’re a Jersey native or not. They’re likable characters, played winningly by fresh talent. The perpetually wise-cracking Cirillo has already proven he’s a hoot to watch, with that particularly irresistible accent of his, and it’s exciting to consider what lies ahead for Zajur, Northrup, and Agudong as performers. From Saban Films, The 4:30 Movie will be released in theaters on Sep. 13, 2024.
