The 4:30 Movie

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2:21

The 4:30 Movie

R

2024

1h 27m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

50+ Verified Ratings

Writer-director Kevin Smith presents his most personal film to date with this coming-of-age story -- set in the summer of 1986 -- that follows three sixteen-year-old friends who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local cineplex. When one of the guys invites the girl of his dreams to see an R-rated film, all hilarity breaks loose, as a self-important theater manager (Ken Jeong) and teen rivalries interfere with his best-laid plans.

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Critics Consensus

Kevin Smith dabbles in (relatively) innocent youth and delivers one of his best films in years with The 4:30 Movie, a sweet-natured reverie on the role moviegoing plays in our lives.

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Ben Travis

Empire Magazine

Sep 18, 2024

2/5

The endearing moments in Kevin Smith’s coming-of-age cinema-fest are weighed down by underwritten comedy. Could have done with being more sweet, less salty.

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Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

AV Club

Sep 16, 2024

C-

Everything is cast in a glow of hazy, diffusion-filter-smeared nostalgia, though it never feels authentic to a particular time or place, or even develops a consistent vibe.

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Christian Zilko

IndieWire

Sep 13, 2024

B+

It’s nice to see his characters behave in a developmentally appropriate way for a change. Rather than sad looks into grown men who stubbornly refuse to grow up, Smith is able to give us a cute portrait of kids who just haven’t gotten there yet.

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Don Kaye

Moviefone

Jul 8, 2026

6.5/10

A semi-autographical coming-of-age teen flick, ‘The 4:30 Movie’ goes down easier and leaves a much less bitter taste than Kevin Smith’s other recent films.

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Cameron Ritter

Geek Vibes Nation

Jul 20, 2025

7/10

The 4:30 Movie is Kevin Smith’s most sentimental film to date. There’s a level of seriousness that is often absent from his films that finds its way into the story and allows it to stand out in his filmography.

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Anna Hoang

Boston Hassle

Jul 13, 2025

2/5

With [the film], Smith writes a somewhat respectful in memoriam to the innocence of youth. Well, as much as he can — it can be relatively crude through Burny’s misogynistic spouts, but it’s probably as close to ABC Family as a Kevin Smith movie gets.

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Jeremy W

Mar 8, 2025

Straight cheese, but still adorable and worth watching if you catch it on Saturday afternoon TV sometime. Really nailed the feeling of watching an old 80s film. Like if you told me this movie was made in 1986, I'd believe it.

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Danielle C

Sep 25, 2024

It was definitely a cute movie, but the preview makes it seem a lot funnier than it actually was and it was definitely pretty slow moving but all in all it was a pretty decent movie

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Scott H

Sep 21, 2024

a throwback to John Hughes 80s films

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melanie

Sep 21, 2024

Is it Clerks? No. But why does anything Kevin Smith make has to be that? For Gen Xers, it’s a wonderful trip down memory lane. And in a world of constant connections , divisions and opinions ,this movie was a cleansing breath. I wonder if this style of storytelling will be a one off for Mr. Smith. I hope not.

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Ryan H

Sep 20, 2024

Top notch feel good movie and didnt know til the end its the guy from Jay and Silent Bob directing. Loved it.

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Zeke A

Sep 20, 2024

Kevin Smith delivers on a heartwarming coming of age story that celebrates the magic of the movies through the POV of teenagers.

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Kevin Smith

Director

Austin Zajur

Brian David

Nick Cirillo

Burny

Reed Northrup

Belly

Siena Agudong

Melody Barnegat

Betty Aberlin

Mrs. B.

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Synopsis

Writer-director Kevin Smith presents his most personal film to date with this coming-of-age story -- set in the summer of 1986 -- that follows three sixteen-year-old friends who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local cineplex. When one of the guys invites the girl of his dreams to see an R-rated film, all hilarity breaks loose, as a self-important theater manager (Ken Jeong) and teen rivalries interfere with his best-laid plans.

Director: Kevin Smith
Producer: Joshua Bachove, Liz Destro, Jordan Monsanto
Screenwriter: Kevin Smith
Distributor: Saban Films
Production Co: Destro Films, SModcast Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 2024, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2024
Runtime: 1h 27m

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