The 4:30 Movie (2024) | Film Review

It was 1994 when Kevin Smith exploded on the scene with a micro-budget filmmaking effort centered around the often-ignored vocation of convenience clerks. Smith immediately established himself as a writer who appreciated pop-culture moments as much as the importance of relationships to debate those talking points. 30 years later, Smith has stripped-down his wonkier ideas of recent years and aims to deliver an endearing coming-of-age tale with particularly personal roots in The 4:30 Movie.

Set in the summer of 1986, Brian David (Austin Zajur) finally makes his move by asking out Melody Barnegat (Siena Agudong) to join him for a cinematic adaptation of a favorite book of hers in BuckLick (complete with a very Fletch-esque poster). Once she agrees and they settle on the 4:30 showtime, the game is on!

Unfortunately, their film is rated R, and this is a decade when movie theaters took their rules very seriously. In order to ensure he can get in, Brian and his two besties Burny and Belly (Nicholas Cirillo, a fiery highlight, and Reed Northup) decide to buy a ticket to an earlier, safer flick and spend the afternoon sneaking into other films until they lock up a spot for Brian’s date. Burny struggles mightily with the idea of losing his best friend to Cupid’s arrow, affording Cirillo the opportunity to winningly amp up the snark. We’re even treated to a nod to 80s trailers ala Grindhouse. Cue the relentless Smith cameos, witty banter, excessive movie references, filthy humor (but not raunchy), and a steadfast return to heart.

That last point is the most important: heart. Kevin Smith is one of the better orators in the podcast space, and he has shown over the years that when he puts away the weed, he can craft a joke in any scenario. What has been missing in recent times with his work (aside from Clerks 3) has been a lack of transparency on the genuineness of the man behind the lens, an absence of intimacy.

The 4:30 Movie obviously emulates Smith’s own journey of discovery as a burgeoning filmmaker, and that contemplative nature of authenticity shines through in his script. When Smith allows his soul to seep through to this project, it’s nearly impossible to root for anything but his success. Throughout his career, he has remained that one filmmaker any fan can relate to.

Austin Zajur is a charming avatar for Smith, and he carries the film with wit and grace. Even as Brian tussles with a manically over-the-top theater manager on a power trip (Ken Jeong), Zajur keeps him grounded and relatable. Likewise, Siena Agudong captures the essence of 80s Phoebe Cates and through her delightfully innocent presence, everyone in the audience immediately understands why this date is so important to Brian. Though most of their interactions are over the phone, their chemistry bleeds into adorableness in every frame.

Flash forward to 2024 and we have a very different expectation of Kevin Smith as a filmmaker. Outside of the Clerks trilogy, Smith has been very hit-or-miss as he navigates outside of the studio system, creating wildly absurd concepts in seemingly never-ending fashion. The 4:30 Movie is an absolute return-to-form of a director fans have never stopped rooting for. This is Kevin Smith’s foul-mouthed Fabelmans, and also his best film in years.