
The simplistic coming-of-age film with elements of ‘rom-coms’ titled, “The 4:30 Movie,” is a delight that has been directed and written by Kevin Smith of “Clerks III” and “Jay and Silent Reboot” fame, but it does not have much to offer in terms of nostalgia. Most of Smith’s fans will love his new adaptations as it plays to the crowd and no wonder, there is a subtle jab towards “Clerks IV” within the first few minutes of this film. ‘The 4:30 Movie’ caters only to those who are not willing to play around with their expectations and just want more from Smith. In this instance, it’s an unquirky character-driven story about a teenage boy, who is an avid movie lover, gets his dream girl, and has an awkward moment with his best buddies.
Perfectly self–annoying unlike “Clerks 3,” which was mired in sadness, “The 4:30 Movie” does not fail to touch the heart of the audience. 1986 is the year and there is a young Brian David Smith “Shadow” (played by actor) who along with his friends is very much excited about the triple screening at Atlantic Cinemas, which is Smith’s chain in Atlantic Heights. They are all planning on sneaking into an R-rated movie adaptation for the series ‘Bucklick’ and Brian wishes to invite Melody played by Siena Agudong.
The very thought of bringing a girl along unsettles the three-some of Brian David, and his two buddies Burny (the endless shrimp Nicholas Cirillo) and Belly (message innocent Reed Northrup). With their imagination so high, they make more jokes than spend time getting action, eventually finding themselves with women and just wanting to talk about films all day.
Now that laid-back setup would be a conceptual slam dunk for Smith, who’s had a steady diet of narratives centered on wacky slackers who rise to the occasion simply because they are there for each other and they absolutely believe in themselves as well.
One of the best things about “The 4:30 Movie” is its cozy feeling that comes from its relatively small scope. As with most of Smith’s last films, this one feels like it was shot by the writer’s best pals, his daughter Harley Quinn Smith, and his popular friends who are often featured in his movies such as Rodriguez and Long. The teenage leads also share an endearing, albeit artificial, sort of chemistry that compensates for quite a few embarrassing gags that would otherwise appeal to Smith’s unshakeable fans.
This entire scenario, including the fate of Atlantic Cinemas, may not be in the true “zone” for Brian David and his friends who are young and overly confident thinking they know everything. It has been life as usual for Smith who distributes his comedies as a reminder that the past is different from how people view the future. For instance, we do know how the Mets performed in the league back in the year 1986 just how David Brian’s friends agree Chaka Kahn is great and stylish based on the fact that she possesses good taste, or how David Brian was puzzled at one of the hundred fake trailers that appeared before they screened trailers such as Sister Sugar Walls, where a nun (Harley Quinn Smith) was a prostitute killer. They do not produce such films any longer, do they?
There isn’t a big surprise in the development of Brian David’s tale; indeed, some of the rather “intimate” aspects of his courting with Melody aren’t for the better because of who Zajur and Agudong seem to be as a couple. In the same manner, Smith does not seem to press his carbon-dated characters too much, as did the rest, including the weird, though not quite amusing, movie theater manager played by Ken Jeong, who was harassing the main character. It probably means a lot when there are younger males’ grown-up dropouts in ‘The 4:30 Movie’ who are arrested and forget about whatever Brian is doing. They reminisce about Rocky 4 and pro wrestling and later get lost in the cheap dollar store snow globe that is Smith’s memories.
Uneasily reconciled interactions in Smith’s new film take place, as expected, with the women, the presence of whom evokes interest only in the case of being played by talented or skilled comedians. A couple are picked up by Smith here, but they do not help much with the dissection of such stretchy substance. And Smith’s gags are sickeningly simple, too, in comparison to somewhat torturous script interactions of his stand-in Brian David with a few brainy and relentlessly nice ladies, especially with Genesis Rodriguez’s character and then with Melody as the John-Boorman adoring usherette.
It’s awkward to accept yet another Kevin Smith flick in which the caustic failure in life is allowed to develop sometime in the future which also includes a sickly feeling apology for Brian David’s incoordination in two countries, “The only height gap exists in how ignorant you are of girls”. In the end, it is clear that whether “The 4:30 movie” is a forgiving or rejecting experience for someone is up to the interest of the younger actors. The film’s economic performances selling Smith’s cast-offs seem to be much about the only life those kids ever sell (“You think today’s could ever be a star vehicle”). It can be said that ‘The 4:30 movie‘ is not really poorly made, only it is going to take a little bit more time than most viewers would be ready to devote to such a mild exhibit that attempts a throwback.
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