In the four decades he has released films, director Kevin Smith has done everything from romantic comedies to epic fantasy comedies to animated comedies and even horror comedies. While Smith certainly has a niche audience that has stuck with him since the 1990s, the director has never shied away from making movies he would have loved to have watched and movies he feels personally connected with. Smith has continued producing and fostering other projects while making his own films, and his latest project may be one of his best.

The 4:30 Movie is a coming-of-age tale set in the 1980s when hanging out with your friends at the local multiplex was the height of entertainment. Inspired by the director’s own youth in suburban New Jersey, The 4:30 Movie is distinct from Smith’s other movies in many ways. While it does not feature Jay or Silent Bob, the movie does connect nicely back to elements from the ViewAskewniverse without being beholden to the films that came before it. With solid supporting turns from Jason Lee, Ken Jeong, Genesis Rodriguez, Jason Mewes, Sam Richardson, and many more stalwarts from Smith’s repertory players, the real stars are the young lead actors played by Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo, Reed Northrup, and Siena Agudong.

I chatted with writer/director Kevin Smith about the movie, which was, surprisingly, one he was not fully confident in. Smith shared how my review and others helped him regain faith in The 4:30 Movie after the Sundance Film Festival rejected it. We also talked about whether Smith would ever make a Grindhouse-style film full of nothing but fake trailers and the mid-credit scene that connects The 4:30 Movie back to the start of Smith’s career. Check out the full interview in the embed above.

The 4:30 Movie is available on demand starting October 1.

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