THE 4:30 MOVIE is the latest film to be directed and written by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Mallrats, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back), which is getting a Streaming/VOD release in UK coming on October 21st 2024

THE 4:30 MOVIE is a coming-of-age story about three sixteen year old friends (played by Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo and Reed Northrup) who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local multiplex. But when one of the guys also invites the girl of his dreams (Siena Agudong) to see the latest comedy, each of the teens will learn something serious about life and love before the credits roll.

The cast features an all-star ensemble that includes Ken Jeong, Sam Richardson, Genesis Rodriguez, Justin Long, Jason Lee, Rachel Dratch, Kate Micucci, Adam Pally, Harley Quinn Smith, and Method Man.

Set in the mobile phoneless, social media-free era of the 80’s, Smith shot THE 4:30 MOVIE at his own ‘Smodcastle Cinemas’ in New Jersey – the same local movie theater he visited every weekend when he was a teenager. Smith and his co-owners saved the century old Atlantic Highlands bijou from demolition two years ago, renaming it after his podcast theater.

Smith as a writer & film-maker is known for drawing from his own experiences but The 4:30 Movie is possibly his most personal effort to date; as it will be obvious to anyone with at least a passing knowledge of his story will that these characters are not-so-loosely based on himself and his childhood friends.

We follow a day-in-the-life of this shy and awkward teen (played by Austin Zazur) as he attempts to set up the perfect cinema date with his crush but is thwarted by his motley crew of friends and the eccentric theater owner (played by Ken Yeong). On the face of it this is such a simple and small story with the inherent drama being almost consequential but Smith does a grab job of sucking us into his world and sucking us into his world and trans the 80s in the genre filled romp.

Of course Smith has some of his famous friends from across his whole career come along from the ride with enjoyable cameos from the likes of Justin Long, Jason Lee & Rosario Dawson. However, it’s the teens at the centre of the story that are the real stars here with Austin Zazur delivering a charming and heart-warming performance that ultimately carries the film.  Ken Jeongs hilarious turn as the eccentric theater owner also stands out, he is obviously having a great time playing the villian here and it shows, with his charecter having some of the biggest laughs and leaving it all on the screen

And it’s not just infront of the camera where Smith has turned to old friends as he re-teams with cinematographer Yaron Levy (Jay & Silent Bob Reboot) and production designer Robert Holtzman (Clerks III, Clerks IIk, Dogma. Also along for the ride is composer Bear McCreary (who worked with smith on Netflix animated Masters Of The Universe: Revelation series) who delivers an electrifying score and music thats a slice of the 80s (especially the track ’24 Karat Case of Love’ which sounds like a fresh cut transported straight from the decade).

At it’s heart its a film about the joy of seeing movies and sharing them with friends from someone who clearly knows a thing or two about the subject. That shared joy and connection is what will connect the viewer to the story even with a meandering plot the doesn’t really go anywhere or come to a satisfying conclusion.

4/5 – A delightful nostalgia-filled day-in-the-life that tugs at the heartstrings with many fun cameos along the way. 

Altitude Films are releasing the film on digital VOD in the UK to rent or buy on Prime Video, Altitude.film, Apple TV and other digital retailers from 21st October 2024.

KEVIN SMITH’S new film ‘THE 4:30 MOVIE’ getting UK Release

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