The 4:30 Movie
As a coming of age romance, “The 4:30 Movie” is a lightweight that does not budge a bit from Smith’s striking approach. Writer-director Kevin Smith, best known for “Clerks III” and “Jay and Silent Reboot,” seems to be taking baby steps forward by offering nostalgia and toying with the concept of “Clerks IV”. Looking back, it is not possible for one to appreciate “The 4:30 Movie” without having seen some of the earlier projects by the writer. It is a standard coming of age story that feels like a million others, revolving around a teenage boy who falls in love with a girl and tries to impress her. This scenario, as mundane as it is, is enhanced by the addition of the protagonist’s two closest friends.
Just as “Clerks 3” was quite sour and overemotional, “The 4:30 Movie” lightens the emotional load and is simply an entertaining experience. All eyes will be on native director Brian David portrayed by Austin Zajur, along with his friends as they get ready to catch a triple flick at a New Jersey Theater. Now a Smodcastle Cinemas owned by Smith, the group plans on sneaking into an R rated film called “Bucklick”. There is also a peculiar wish to invite Melody (Siena Agudong) to such an activity which seems to be quite harmless in theory.
Brian David, along with Burny (Nicholas Cirillo) and Belly (Reed Northrup) make for an odd trio. Only in a virtual world can one take offense at the prospect of bringing a girl along. It is worth mentioning that the trio is careless and rambunctious, finds themselves the subject of affection, and fantasizes about being on a screen but rarely does film filming itself.
That sort of carelessness towards the activity seems like easy work for Smith and that has been the focus of his films, careless yet inspirational wins where that was the only thing that was required.
By the way, part of Smith’s abundant charm which has so much of charm to, a film called “The 4:30 Movie”. As with his previous pictures, this one seems to be co produced with his best friends and close family members, including his daughter Harley Quinn Smith, and his usual entourage of celebrity cameos such as Rosario Dawson and Justin Long. The main teenage characters of the movie also share such chemistry that is somewhat forced but indeed sweet and makes up for a lot of Joe F. Low shoddy jokes which may or may not work for diehard fans of Smith like the director himself.
All this, starting from the unknown fate of Atlantic Cinemas, may come as a shocker to Brian David and his chums who chat with the ill founded bravado of youth who know everything. Change has not been consistent in Smith’s case either as his comedies seem to please only the cynical fans of cinema who now tend to consider the past as not in anyway relevant. Well, we do know how the Mets performed in their 1986 season, just like we know why Brian David has such great taste when he sloshes around to Chaka Khan with friends or why he’s transfixed by the fake previews that come up before the first movie that includes ads for a cheap and vulgar thriller called Sister Sugar Walls featuring a murderous nun turned prostitute played by Harley Quinn Smith. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore, even if they absolutely do.
When it comes to Brian David, one would never look for a surprise as to where his story is going. Some of the risque details we assumed were solely for Zajur & Agudong’s initial courtship with Melody as early on were not as appealing. In the same breath, Smith can be seen opposing his carbon dated protagonists a little too much and its questionable being called that funny Mike there but not Ken Jeong’s angry movie theater owner. It means something that the funniest people in ‘The 4:30 Movie’ are aged male dropouts who are either oblivious to or simply do not care about whatever Brian is doing. They reminisce about Rocky IV and pro wrestling and then vanish into the cheap fog of Smith’s snow globe memory…
The most humiliating scenes in Smith’s new film unsurprisingly include the women, whose generic roles can only work if played by seasoned and talented funny ladies. Smith pulls a few here, but there’s only so much they can do with rubbery material like this. Most of Smith’s gags seem to be overshadowed by very tame and at times hard to believe circumstances involving his stand in Brian David and two particularly clever and forever polite women Rodriguez’s John Boorman fanatic usherette and Melody as well.
It is difficult to wholeheartedly accept yet another Kevin Smith comical drama where the over confident slacker is just going to grow up at some point, including an obsequious excuse for Brian David’s ineptitude with women (“The only place you can look short is how little you know about girls”). Still, I am not sure that you will ever embrace or cold shoulder ‘The 4:30 Movie’ based on what inspires its younger members of the cast. Most of them try very hard to sell Smith’s dominantly secondhand clothes to the people who typically are well beyond that but never the less are probably not sure what that means. “The 4:30 Movie” may be not good, the only thing that it may not be is though the amount of aldosterone required to see this particular weak nostalgia may be more than some would be ready for.
For More Movies Visit Putlocker.