The Joyful Nostalgia of Kevin Smith's: The 4:30 Movie

Reflecting on Kevin Smith and his latest film

For the entirety of this movie, I had a smile on my face. It's a beautifully nostalgic love letter to cinema, to the 1980s, and to 1980s cinema.

Kevin Smith is the indie film ideal. An idiosyncratic writer who crafts highly personal films. And they're usually hilarious.

Over the years, Smith flirted with the big leagues, writing huge franchises and bigger budgeted movies. But now, he seems comfortable where he is - being himself. Writing the films he wants to make and wants to see.

I class myself as a big Kevin Smith fan, yet I've not always loved the output. The tough thing with a writer like Kevin Smith, who repeatedly "returns to the well", is that he's going to attract criticism that he's ‘repeating himself,’ and ‘making the same movie.’

That criticism works well when the films aren't very good.

But when he nails it, you realise how great it is that he returns to the well. It's a place full of heart, creativity, hilarity and meaning.

The 1980s setting breathes new life into the Kevin Smith universe. Yes, he's bringing back themes and actors (in supporting roles) that he's used before, but it's fresh, it's engaging.

I'm constantly hearing on the internet and in the media that 'most films are made me for people like me’, i.e being a white, straight male, etc. But the truth is, in the last fifteen years or so there have hardly been any movies I’ve genuinely related to.

But this one really clicked for me.

Underpinning the comedy is a simple, heartfelt story about a guy wanting to take a girl to the cinema. Watching this was a great reminder that simplicity works. A guy asking a girl on a date and not knowing whether it's going to work out was great fodder for movies in the 1980s and it still is now.

As for the nostalgia, it hit me to the core. It's not a rare thing these days to see the 1980s played for nostalgia kicks. All it takes is a stroke of synthwave and some wavy hair and you've got yourself some feels.

That said, even though it can be a bit of a schtick, when it's done well, it really captures you. I felt similarly about the film 'Adventureland' (2009, Greg Mottola). I must've watched that film 30 times, it just resonated with me.

And so did this.

Going to the movies, not just because you want to see a flick, but because it's a huge part of your identity, is something I related to. It's not so much who I am now, but it's who I was then, when I was younger, when me and my friends had nothing better to do than go see a movie. What I saw in this movie, was myself.

And all the best movies make you feel that way.

I sent a text to my friend Paul after I saw this film. We've probably seen ten Kevin Smith films together, usually at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square.

He didn't like it. The film barely worth more to him than a sentence.

At first, I felt disappointed. How can he not like this film?

But then I felt a peace about it. This is exactly how indie film should be. When you have a personal voice like Kevin Smith, his art isn't meant to appeal to everyone. Even within his fanbase, not everybody will like every film. If they did, it would probably be a sign the filmmaker is being lazy, repeating the same stuff.

'The 4:30 Movie' is my favourite Kevin Smith film of recent times, and I enjoyed it as much as, if not more than, any new film I've seen this past year. Films like 'Anora' and 'The Brutalist' may have won the awards, but 'The 4:30 Movie' won my heart.