Critically acclaimed filmmaker Kevin Smith gets incredibly semi-biographical in the poignant coming-of-age comedy, The 4:30 Movie.

The filmmaker takes audiences back to 1986 when things were so much different at the box office. To say that this is Kevin Smith’s most personal film to date would not be an understatement. I feel like I said as much about Clerks III but that film hit on an emotional high. This time, things feel much different. While a number of Kevin Smith regulars are in the film, it’s very different from the rest of his filmography. Mind you, Cop Out and Jersey Girl are among the outliers in his filmography as they do not take place in the View Askewniverse.

Brian David (Austin Zajur), Burny (Nicholas Cirillo), and Belly (Reed Northrup) spend their weekends by going to the local movie theater. When Brian invites Melody Barnegat (Siena Agudong) to an R-rated movie, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. For one, Manager Mike (Ken Jeong) has the most inflated ego of any theater manager I’ve ever seen, both in person and on the screen. Back in 2000-01, I worked at a movie theater where the free movies were really the only good part about working there. I’ve had my own experiences with managers that I didn’t like but nothing like this dude. Manager Mike might be able to talk the talk but he does not walk the walk. Meanwhile, Burny is not having any of it with Brian going out with Melody. Melody’s own mom certainly has plans of her own.

Smith uses Emo Usher (Adam Pally) to comment on everything that’s happened with Star Wars since the original trilogy. It isn’t just that George Lucas was able to make the prequels but that the franchise eventually made its way to the smaller screen with a focus on side characters like Boba Fett. If you’ve seen any fan discussions, you can’t help but laugh. There’s no denying just how toxic the fan base can get. However, it feels more like Smith just wanting to have some satirical fun with Star Wars.

There are a number of cameos throughout the film from the many Smith regulars through the years. Some of them get incorporated in a way that I certainly wasn’t expecting. On the other hand, there are also newcomers to Kevin Smith’s cinematic world. Everything adds up in Kevin Smith’s love letter to his youth and the movies in The 4:30 Movie–his efforts here would make John Hughes proud.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Kevin Smith
CAST: Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo, Reed Northrup, Siena Agudong, Betty Aberlin, Diedrich Bader, Jason Biggs, Rosario Dawson, Rachel Dratch, Ralph Garman, Jason Lee, Logic, Justin Long, Jason Mewes, Kate Micucci, Jenny Mollen, Adam Pally, Sam Richardson, Genesis Rodriguez, Jennifer Schwalbach, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Harley Quinn Smith, and Ken Jeong

Saban Films will release The 4:30 Movie in theaters on September 13, 2024. Grade: 3.5/5

Please subscribe to Dugout Dirt and Solzy on Buttondown.