Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Uninspired comedy about love, movies is full of sex jokes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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The 4:30 Movie
What's the Story?
In THE 4:30 MOVIE, it's the summer of 1986, and teen Brian (Austin Zajur) finally works up the courage to call his crush, Melody Barnegat (Siena Agudong), and ask her out to the movies. They're too young to get in to see Bucklick, so they plan to buy tickets for Astro Blaster and the Beaver Men and sneak in. Meanwhile, Brian and his two best pals, Belly (Reed Northrup) and Burny (Nicholas Cirillo), show up at the movie theater—with a pocketful of movie bacon—to spend the day. Trouble begins when they repeatedly cross paths with egomaniacal manager Mike (Ken Jeong) and find themselves banned from the theater for life. After hearing some advice from an usher and a fellow movie buff, Brian decides to make a stand and win Melody once and for all.
Is It Any Good?
While this Kevin Smith comedy probably sounded like paradise for film fans, it ends up more like purgatory, focusing on sex jokes and dumb humor rather than on lovable characters or love of cinema. The 4:30 Movie begins with Brian's phone call to ask Melody out. Apparently, he hasn't spoken to her in a year, since they kissed in her pool. And yet he's full of confidence and witty banter; there's no discernible reason he would have waited a year. Then, for at least half an hour, we're treated to the aforementioned "humor," along with lots of annoying bickering among the friends, as well as "ironically" bad predictions about what the future will bring ("Star Wars is done!"). Many of Smith's "usual suspects" appear in small cameos, often so quickly that you might miss them and frequently in charge of jokes that don't land (e.g., Justin Long waxing poetic on Rocky IV, Method Man talking about movies not being real, and Jason Biggs in a fake movie trailer called Booties).
Somewhere around the halfway point, the movie takes on a certain sweetness as characters finally begin communicating with one another (Smith's Jersey Girl has a similar rhythm) rather than shouting and arguing. But for a movie that runs slightly less than 88 minutes, that doesn't leave a lot of time to establish any kind of emotional stake. If The 4:30 Movie had begun with a little more care and embraced its time and place with a little more than just irony, it might have felt more endearing. As is, it's too unfunny to bother with the price of a ticket.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The 4:30 Movie's violence. How did the movie's tone affect the impact of the violent scenes?
How does the movie depict, or talk about, sex? Is it used for humor? What values are suggested?
How does the movie demonstrate communication?
What feels different about movies that are set over the course of a single day? What are their strengths? Drawbacks?
What did you learn about life in 1986 from this film? What's missing from that time that we have today? What are the pros and cons of life back then?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 13, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : October 1, 2024
- Cast : Austin Zajur , Siena Agudong , Reed Northrup
- Director : Kevin Smith
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Polynesian/Pacific Islander Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Saban Films
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content
- Last updated : October 1, 2024
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