THE 4:30 MOVIE is Throwback Kevin Smith

*This review contains minor spoilers

When I sat down to watch the new Kevin Smith directed comedy, The 4:30 Movie, I wasn't hindered by any expectations. I didn't know a lot about the project, nor had I seen a ton of promotion of it. Therefore, I really didn't know if this was the old school View Askew launching 1990s Smith (which I adore), or the something-is-just-a-wee-bit-off Smith of the 2000s (Red State, Jersey Girl, etc). It turns out that The 4:30 Movie is kind of somewhere in between, but definitely leans more toward the nostalgic groundbreaking Smith of the 90s with movies like Clerks and Mallrats, of which I consider comedy classics by the way.

The 4:30 Movie centers around the friendship of three lovable hooligans and their shared love of going to the movies in 1986 New Jersey. They spend every weekend buying a ticket to some PG-rated movie, then just end watching all the other movies playing at the cineplex too. There are plenty of dick jokes, insulting, sex talk and flat out juvenile behavior among our core group. When our main character, Brian (played by Austin Zajur) invites the girl of his dreams, Melody (played by newcomer Siena Agudong), to join them for their Saturday movie marathon it becomes a juggling act for Brian between his normal tomfoolery and trying to woo his first love.

This movie shines when it leans into its Kevin Smith-isms. There is an entire ten minute segment devoted to playing fake trailers before one of the movies the guys are seeing. We get some hilarious and quite frankly awesome 80s-centric, B-movie style ideas including Sister Sugarwalls about a nun by day who becomes a prostitute by night to pay for food for their orphaned kids. As if that doesn't sound awesome enough, Smith cast his daughter Harley Quinn Smith as the titular Sister Sugarwalls. We also get some wonderful cameo parts from frequent Smith collaborators such as Jason Mewes, Jason Biggs, Method Man, Jason Lee, Rachel Dratch and Rosario Dawson. However, far and away the best small bit-part in the movie came courtesy of Justin Long as Stank. He plays the washed-up high school reject who comes to the movies alone all while hilariously giving off the most insane creepy energy. I was laughing throughout his entire 2 minute scene. Ken Jeong who plays the villain of the film also was a bonafide scene stealer as this over-the-top, mustache-twirling bully who owns the movie theater.

In summary, The 4:30 Movie doesn't feel as amazingly organic or accidentally profound as older Smith fare, but it was definitely great to see bits and pieces of that return to the big screen. The performances are all on par with what type of movie they're going for, but aside from some of the cameos I mentioned, the standout was Siena Agudong as Melody. She has a beautiful innocence while at the same time carrying a nice touch of tomboy vibes to keep up with all the boys' silliness. If you're a fan of Kevin Smith, it'll be hard not to fall under this movie's spell, but you'll still probably end up going home and putting on your Clerks DVD. Snootchie Bootchies.

🍿 SCORE = 79 / 100