Kevin Smith can’t quit New Jersey, but today, there is a split in his fandom between those who gave up on the director around Jersey Girl and those New Jerseyans riding their hometown hero until the wheels fall off. But with The 4:30 Movie, maybe he can get some people back on the Garden State Parkway.A teen comedy with a ticking clock, The 4:30 Movie is a semi-autobiographical Superbad of a movie. Centered on a trio of movie-loving teen boys, our Kevin Smith surrogate (played by Austin Zajur) asks his crush (Siena Agudong) out to the titular 4:30 movie. As one can imagine, Ken Jeong ejects him before the movie rolls, and now he has to find a new way to kiss his crush. Smith called in the usual suspects from across his cinematic universe to round out his picture. 4:30’s cast includes Ken Jeong, Jason Lee, Justin Long, Rosario Dawson, Jason Biggs, Method Man, Diedrich Bader, Rachel Drtatch, Sam Richardson, Adam Pally, Logic, and Kate Micucci.Like all of Smith’s recent work, 4:30 Movie looks relatively low-budget. That’s nothing new for Smith, who rose to fame during the ‘90s indie boom. As in Clerks, he filmed his movie in the actual building it inspired. Focusing on Kevin Smith’s movie theater, the Smodcastle Cinema in Atlantic Highlands, The 4:30 Movie serves as a testament to the local moviehouse Smith grew up in and he and his co-owners saved. Maybe that New Jersey magic is back because there’s an energy to the performances here that might make The 4:30 Movie sing like his old movies do. Free of the overstuffed lunacy of Yoga Hosers and the meta mess of his Clerks sequels, Smith returns with a low-stakes comedy with a simple set-up. Honestly, what took so long?The 4:30 Movie hits theaters on September 19.
