I miss the old Kev too. I think Tusk was the last movie where he felt genuinely inspired, and ever since he whipped out the script for Yoga Hosers in no time flat, we've been getting First Draft Kev, which is in line with his new "good enough" mantra when it comes to shooting takes. If he thinks a take is good enough, he moves on to save money. Unfortunately, he's doing that with scripts too, which used to be his absolute strongest suit.
While I didn't love The 4:30 Movie, it did make me optimistic for the future of Kevin Smith movies. I don't know how to explain it, but the vibe in Reboot and Clerks 3 just felt wrong to me. Maybe it was the weed.
Totally agree. The 4:30 Movie is a return to form, even with it's faults. Yoga Hosers, Reboot and Clerks 3 have this horribly ugly generic cinematography and confused editing. Not to mention the dialogue (especially in Clerks 3) is stiff and repetitive. They're so lazy that it almost feels like a passive aggressive attack on the audience for not embracing his new films. The 4:30 Movie is the first time since Zack and Miri and/or Red State that I feel like I'm watching a Kevin Smith movie again, even it's a bit more of a meandering one, like Mallrats, but I'll take that any day over Clerks 3.
I hated what happened to Dante in Clerks 3. I get that he was originally scripted to die, but it just felt cruel for him to fall that hard following Clerks 2. His monologue was very well done, the hospital scene was great....and then it cuts to the funeral and it goes back to being cringe again.
Kevin Smith's dialogue used to be the strongest quality of his writing, but now I would argue it's the worst. It feels like an empty imitation of himself where everyone is just being mean-spirited towards each other and dropping pop culture references. The middle of the movie keeps hitting the same one note over and over until it gets pretty annoying. However, I would argue the opening and ending with Brian and Melody is some of the best stuff he has put to screen in years. It really captures that sincerity, innocence and vulnerability that made me fall in love with him to begin with. It starts off strong and ends strong, but the middle is basically Mallrats in a movie theatre with less interesting conversations.
Summed up most of my thoughts on the film. Was only playing one time a day two cities over at a Regal (I have AMC A List) so I really had to go out of my way to see it. And I mostly found it to be fine. The idea of Kev making a movie of people just hanging out should be fun. But he’s totally lost his ability to write fun dialogue. Which makes it all just pointless to watch. And I can attest that Kev is an incredibly sweet man. I met him at a con here not long after he nearly died and he talked to me for a good 2 minutes (which for a meet and greet line is forever) and went in for a hug and genuinely seemed appreciative that people came to see him at an event that half the Avengers cast were at. I’ll always be there to see what he does, but it does break my heart to drop 3 stars on the letterboxd and know I’m probably being too kind.
I also had high hopes for this. It made me legitimately sad to review it so negatively. Hopefully we get Kevin back and he understands where the criticism is coming from.
What an absolute love letter at the end. Kevin Smith will always be one of my heroes, but watching the declining quality of the films breaks my heart, too. I'll keep watching hopefully, however. 🖖🏼
Lastly, I absolutely love that someone looks visibly nervous and starstruck to meet Walt Flanagan. My want to meet celebrity list is like everyone else's, favorite bands and celebrity crushes, but Walt Flanagan is pretty high up there for me.
I saw it and enjoyed it, but I agree that the middle chunk is a slog at worst and mixed bag at best. The connection that Brian and Melody have is easily Kev's best writing in years and I don't know why he didn't make a movie about them just bombing around 80s NJ. As a tri-state native (NY born and raised) hearing the Z100 opening set the tone so well and I feel like he had the IDEA, but just failed to really convey it overall. Obviously, budgetary constraints are a big hinderance to his new projects, but shoot in areas you can set dress easily and on small sets. It's not like he's going to make a full on period piece and set dress and entire town. I liked it a tad more than you, but I do agree it could've been leagues better. I have a similar upbringing to you, got into Clerks: TAS (PROBABLY saw Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back a bit earlier) when I was 10 and became obsessed with Mallrats in high school. I went to NYU for film and my entrance essay was about the night I met Kevin after waiting in line for 12 hours. I just wanna see him write a movie that means something to me again.
The movie feels like it was written around a Google search on 80s pop culture with conversations and scenes existing for no reason other than to include a reference. I debated turning it off but the fake trailers pulled me back in. It's not a good or memorable movie but I didn't scoff the entire time which is very untypical of a movie these days.
It's a little disappointing that the trailers hyped up the romance story, yet it didn't really impact the plot until towards the final act. The cameos and film references were fun, though.
I haven't seen it yet, but I'll likely be renting it this weekend. I definitely think his risk-taking should be supported. And thank you for the shoutout! 😊
I prefer the old comedic kevin smith. He excelled at stoner nerd comedies. Dogma imo was his absolutely best film. Love jay and silent Bob but it's best when they aren't the center characters.
Kev never recovered from Scott going his own way. He needs someone who likes him but isn't a yes man. They had such a good mix of dry humor and over the top broad comedy. I feel like after Scott moved on Kevin imploded.
I think people have finally woken up to what a SHILL Kevin has become, and it's truly disappointing. Everyone got annoyed with him and tuned out, Dogma was his Magnum Opus though -hard to top. I didn't like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, even when I first saw it, felt way too cartoony.
I can understand and see some of the criticisms you mentioned, but I also disagree. Is this his best movie? No. But he is also back to telling personal stories... I think the issue is that you wanted this movie to be the cinematic version of his full "emo-kev" story, so that is why you were let down by a lot of it... I think Kev just wanted to write and make a small movie again that also happened to be peak into his adolescence... I doubt there will ever be a follow-up, but I liked these characters well enough that I'd check out another movie that delves deeper into the relationship of Brian and Melody, like you wanted or thought this would be... though I disagreed with your overall review, I did love your love letter to Kevin Smith at the end of it... And as far as nobody seeing it, it really wasn't marketed much and the only trailers I saw for it were when Kevin Smith posted it and on ad supported youtube videos. It had a very limited release in theaters... it was only playing at three theaters in the greater Seattle area, which is where I live, and none of those were actually in Seattle. Two of the theaters only had one screening of it a day, and that was only for a week... now it's on VOD and not attached to any streaming service (unless that has changed)... however, I do know I will pick up the Bluray when it releases next month.
As someone who was there for all of it, let me just say that Kevin Smith would love you. Well, not you - you he would hate as much as I do - but he would love the weird cancer dude in the wig taking so much time to rip his film to pieces. Passion is admirable. You should find one of your own
I miss the old Kev too. I think Tusk was the last movie where he felt genuinely inspired, and ever since he whipped out the script for Yoga Hosers in no time flat, we've been getting First Draft Kev, which is in line with his new "good enough" mantra when it comes to shooting takes. If he thinks a take is good enough, he moves on to save money. Unfortunately, he's doing that with scripts too, which used to be his absolute strongest suit.
Hopefully he hears what his fans are saying and tries something different next time.
While I didn't love The 4:30 Movie, it did make me optimistic for the future of Kevin Smith movies. I don't know how to explain it, but the vibe in Reboot and Clerks 3 just felt wrong to me. Maybe it was the weed.
Totally agree. The 4:30 Movie is a return to form, even with it's faults. Yoga Hosers, Reboot and Clerks 3 have this horribly ugly generic cinematography and confused editing. Not to mention the dialogue (especially in Clerks 3) is stiff and repetitive. They're so lazy that it almost feels like a passive aggressive attack on the audience for not embracing his new films. The 4:30 Movie is the first time since Zack and Miri and/or Red State that I feel like I'm watching a Kevin Smith movie again, even it's a bit more of a meandering one, like Mallrats, but I'll take that any day over Clerks 3.
I hated what happened to Dante in Clerks 3. I get that he was originally scripted to die, but it just felt cruel for him to fall that hard following Clerks 2.
His monologue was very well done, the hospital scene was great....and then it cuts to the funeral and it goes back to being cringe again.
Emo Kev came back and made those movies.
I enjoyed the 430 movie. It’s not groundbreaking or anything but it’s a nice lighthearted teen comedy.
That was really good commentary. Hope you'll find your Kevin back soon
Everything after Clerks 2 has been garbage. Especially Yoga Hosers and the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
Red State is good.
TUSK is awful. But Yogahosers is fun!
@@iansmart4158 Zack & Miri is his most underrated, imo.
@@ZyxthePest love that movie too! I agree!
All of the movies you mentioned were great, you just don't get them anymore, it's okay.
Kevin Smith's dialogue used to be the strongest quality of his writing, but now I would argue it's the worst. It feels like an empty imitation of himself where everyone is just being mean-spirited towards each other and dropping pop culture references. The middle of the movie keeps hitting the same one note over and over until it gets pretty annoying. However, I would argue the opening and ending with Brian and Melody is some of the best stuff he has put to screen in years. It really captures that sincerity, innocence and vulnerability that made me fall in love with him to begin with. It starts off strong and ends strong, but the middle is basically Mallrats in a movie theatre with less interesting conversations.
Gave up after the third “emergency breakthrough” call.
Summed up most of my thoughts on the film. Was only playing one time a day two cities over at a Regal (I have AMC A List) so I really had to go out of my way to see it. And I mostly found it to be fine. The idea of Kev making a movie of people just hanging out should be fun. But he’s totally lost his ability to write fun dialogue. Which makes it all just pointless to watch.
And I can attest that Kev is an incredibly sweet man. I met him at a con here not long after he nearly died and he talked to me for a good 2 minutes (which for a meet and greet line is forever) and went in for a hug and genuinely seemed appreciative that people came to see him at an event that half the Avengers cast were at. I’ll always be there to see what he does, but it does break my heart to drop 3 stars on the letterboxd and know I’m probably being too kind.
I also had high hopes for this. It made me legitimately sad to review it so negatively. Hopefully we get Kevin back and he understands where the criticism is coming from.
I don't know. I like Dogma. Congrats on Kevin getting the rights to that one back.
What an absolute love letter at the end. Kevin Smith will always be one of my heroes, but watching the declining quality of the films breaks my heart, too. I'll keep watching hopefully, however. 🖖🏼
Lastly, I absolutely love that someone looks visibly nervous and starstruck to meet Walt Flanagan. My want to meet celebrity list is like everyone else's, favorite bands and celebrity crushes, but Walt Flanagan is pretty high up there for me.
Hope he sees this - I'm with you 100000% you literally said what I want to say to him
I saw it and enjoyed it, but I agree that the middle chunk is a slog at worst and mixed bag at best. The connection that Brian and Melody have is easily Kev's best writing in years and I don't know why he didn't make a movie about them just bombing around 80s NJ. As a tri-state native (NY born and raised) hearing the Z100 opening set the tone so well and I feel like he had the IDEA, but just failed to really convey it overall. Obviously, budgetary constraints are a big hinderance to his new projects, but shoot in areas you can set dress easily and on small sets. It's not like he's going to make a full on period piece and set dress and entire town.
I liked it a tad more than you, but I do agree it could've been leagues better. I have a similar upbringing to you, got into Clerks: TAS (PROBABLY saw Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back a bit earlier) when I was 10 and became obsessed with Mallrats in high school. I went to NYU for film and my entrance essay was about the night I met Kevin after waiting in line for 12 hours. I just wanna see him write a movie that means something to me again.
The movie feels like it was written around a Google search on 80s pop culture with conversations and scenes existing for no reason other than to include a reference.
I debated turning it off but the fake trailers pulled me back in.
It's not a good or memorable movie but I didn't scoff the entire time which is very untypical of a movie these days.
Thank you. That was a fair review with a slightly high rating. I wonder where Kevin goes from here.
I appreciate that. I was concerned I came off too mean. It’s hard to be critical of someone you love.
It's a little disappointing that the trailers hyped up the romance story, yet it didn't really impact the plot until towards the final act. The cameos and film references were fun, though.
Kevin Smith is the king of DVD sales
I haven't seen it yet, but I'll likely be renting it this weekend. I definitely think his risk-taking should be supported.
And thank you for the shoutout! 😊
Emo Kev never went away. They had positive things to say on TESD, that got me interested, but I haven't seen it. Someday maybe.
I prefer the old comedic kevin smith. He excelled at stoner nerd comedies. Dogma imo was his absolutely best film. Love jay and silent Bob but it's best when they aren't the center characters.
Sounds like it should’ve been like Dazed and Confused. Just a cool hang out movie where stuff happens. Low stakes. No real drama.
I was amazed at how well Linklater managed to recreate that vibe with Everybody Wants Some!!
Kevin Smith needs to retire from making films and become a producer. He's lost his spark a long time ago.
Yeah, I feel you, the movie wasn't really good. I liked it, it was worth watching once. Since I bought it, I will watch it again of course.
Kev never recovered from Scott going his own way. He needs someone who likes him but isn't a yes man. They had such a good mix of dry humor and over the top broad comedy. I feel like after Scott moved on Kevin imploded.
Samesies to everything you said. Except I havent met kevin or walt yet
I think people have finally woken up to what a SHILL Kevin has become, and it's truly disappointing.
Everyone got annoyed with him and tuned out, Dogma was his Magnum Opus though -hard to top. I didn't like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, even when I first saw it, felt way too cartoony.
I can understand and see some of the criticisms you mentioned, but I also disagree. Is this his best movie? No. But he is also back to telling personal stories... I think the issue is that you wanted this movie to be the cinematic version of his full "emo-kev" story, so that is why you were let down by a lot of it... I think Kev just wanted to write and make a small movie again that also happened to be peak into his adolescence... I doubt there will ever be a follow-up, but I liked these characters well enough that I'd check out another movie that delves deeper into the relationship of Brian and Melody, like you wanted or thought this would be... though I disagreed with your overall review, I did love your love letter to Kevin Smith at the end of it...
And as far as nobody seeing it, it really wasn't marketed much and the only trailers I saw for it were when Kevin Smith posted it and on ad supported youtube videos. It had a very limited release in theaters... it was only playing at three theaters in the greater Seattle area, which is where I live, and none of those were actually in Seattle. Two of the theaters only had one screening of it a day, and that was only for a week... now it's on VOD and not attached to any streaming service (unless that has changed)... however, I do know I will pick up the Bluray when it releases next month.
So Kevin Smith cast the boyfriend of his daughter to play himself huh?
I want to see it but it only played in two art houses in vegas for a short period.
Honestly…I torrented it. Maybe try watching it there.
@@ArianaAlexiswhere do you torrent?
I use Rainierland but their selection isn’t as good as it used to be
YTS.mx is pretty good. But when that fails I always go back to whatever version of Pirate Bay is running.
And that's Ernie O'Donnell, not O'Donald. The sweet Trans Am is Ernie's, the burgers are Ronald's.
You are the best.
I think Kevin's time has come and gone, sadly. The heart attack and all the dope he smokes now have changed him.
I hope he comes out with someone a little more heartfelt soon. He has so much potential!
Smith quit smoking weed January of 2023, and this entire movie was made while he was sober
@dkfrito I didn't know that. Thank you for the info.
I heard nothing about it.
Smith's last good movie was Red State IMO and though I haven't seen his latest one it doesn't sound like that's changed
My Neighbor Totoro is a good movie. You just watched the wrong dub of it. The Streamline dub is way better than the Dakota fanning dub.
This lady should smoke a joint before it and just be happy
this movie was such a waste of time for movie night. boring af. and I'm a big fan of Kevin. my vote no longer counts for a while.haha
I think this is the consensus for a lot of fans
I thought it was a good movie
I have always really disliked Smith and his movies.
WGAF?
@@chariotdrvr14 Lol. Twinkie!
who tf is Kevin Smith
He's the director of Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. If you know Jay and Silent Bob, he's Silent Bob.
As someone who was there for all of it, let me just say that Kevin Smith would love you. Well, not you - you he would hate as much as I do - but he would love the weird cancer dude in the wig taking so much time to rip his film to pieces. Passion is admirable. You should find one of your own
The fuck? Are you trying to be funny and missing the mark, or are you just being horrible?