The 4:30 Movie Blu Ray Review (Lionsgate / Saban Films)

The 4:30 Movie is a 2024 teen comedy written, edited, and directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks franchise, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Red State, Tusk, Mallrats, and Jersey Girl). In the summer of 1986, three friends which includes Brian (played by: Austin Zajur from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Fist Fight), Belly (played by: Reed Northrup from Relay and Teenage Euthanasia), and Burny (played by: Nicholas Cirillo from She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Outer Banks) spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local Cineplex. When one of the guys invites his dream girl Melody (played by: Siena Agudong from F9: The Fast Saga and Resident Evil) to see an R-rated sex comedy film, everything starts to fall.apart for the group. They have to deal with a strict theater manager Mike (played by: Ken Jeong from The Hangover trilogy, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, Role Models, and Community). Some petty rivalries cause more problems with their theater hopping as the day gets tougher. It really tests their friendship, can they get past this awkward experience???? Director Kevin Smith goes back to his roots with this autobiographical comedy set in the 80’s. The 4:30 Movie is refreshing return from Smith and his unique cinematic universe. The script deals with a group of friends lead by Brian David who is all about movies. They always go theater hopping and check out the newest releases but this time he invites a girl to their weekly tradition. It messes up their dynamic and usual flow to things which ends up causing chaos for the lifelong friends. This is one of the most personal projects from cult filmmaker Kevin Smith and it really shows in The 4:30 Movie. Newcomer Austin Zajur is the lead in this. He has a connection with Melody and he finally gets the guts to ask her out. This starts a wild chain reaction with his close group and weekend routines. Siena Agudong as Melody is the person that alters everyone’s plans with her presence. Austin Zajur and Siena Agudong have solid chemistry together as the two teens trying to figure stuff out. Ken Jeong is hilarious as Manager Mike. He’s the unlikely villain in this that ruins everything for the ambitious trio after they get caught breaking numerous rules at his theater. There’s a good amount of great cameos with familiar faces that were involved with the View Askew universe. The rest of the supporting cast includes Reed Northrup, Nicholas Cirillo, Kate Micucci (Clerks III), Jeff Anderson (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), Harley Quinn Smith (Yoga Hosers), Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (Red State), Jason Mewes (Dogma), Jason Biggs (Jersey Girl), Jason Lee (Mallrats), Rosario Dawson (Clerks franchise), Justin Long (Zack and Miri Make a Porno), Ming Chen (Jay and Silent Bob Reboot), Betty Aberlin (Killroy Was Here), Ralph Garman (Tusk), Genesis Rodriguez (Tusk), Method Man (Garden State), Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso), Jenny Mollen (Crazy, Stupid, Love), Adam Pally (Sonic franchise), Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), and Diedrich Bader (Office Space). If you are a movie nerd, you will really appreciate all the references and easter eggs in this. I enjoyed all of the fake “Trailers” from Kevin Smith here. This coming of age teen comedy had a John Hughes vibe but with a more vulgar and Rated R feel to it. The 4:30 Movie is more than that, it has that classic Kevin Smith heart to it. It connects you to these kids and what they are going through at the time. It’s nice to see the director do a feature that actually means something to him and it’s a different sub-genre for him. This was much better than expected, it’s a shame that it didn’t do great at the box office. Hopefully, it’s get a new life on home video with this release. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Lionsgate! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer looks great on blu ray. It has excellent cinematography and production design that brings you back to the 80’s. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos and English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 on the disc. The audio really shines when it comes to it’s soundtrack. All of the dialogue is crisp, the laughs are elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH and Spanish subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary’ with writer, editor, and director Kevin Smith. He chats about this being based on his real life experiences. He points out a variety of 80’s merch and references from The 4:30 Movie. He says Brian David was actually going to be name when he was born but another baby in the hospital already had the name so his parents went with Kevin. He talks about the cast and crew. The lead actor is dating his daughter. He was in a previous Smith film but got all his lines cut out. Smith jokes that he made it up to him by giving him the Brian David role. He is very personal and detailed, so many locations and things really existed. He brings up using his own theater that he owns for the main location. He breaks down the scenes as he revisits it. Lots of information and stories are shared while viewing The 4:30 Movie. Kevin Smith is one of the best when it comes to commentaries and this one is no different. It has the almost 23 minute “Going Home Again: The Making of The 4:30 Movie”. It has interviews with the cast and crew. Kevin Smith goes over the origin story and the real life events that inspired this. He mentions that everyone would expect it to be Ushers since he did Clerks but he never had that job so he went with whatever really happened during his early years. He breaks down all the main characters and who inspired them. He goes over how he casted some of the bigger roles in this comedy production. He hints at a possible sequel with his idea for it. It has the “Theatrical Trailer” for The 4:30 Movie. It comes with a digital code and DVD copy of the release. There’s an Amazon exclusive 4K version. This blu ray is available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!