Kevin Smith’s origin story as a filmmaker is personal and inspirational for movie lovers.
Last year, I paid to meet Kevin Smith at a comic con after my girlfriend convinced me to and clear my mind. Depressed as fuck, I decided to go meet one of my favorite directors. While he was signing my Clerks 10th Anniversary DVD set (one of the few DVDs I kept), I told him how his movies had kept me alive and helped me with depression. His response seemed legit, as sincere as the movies he makes.
His new film, The 4:30 Movie, came to my life on a weekday night after a tough, depressing day at work. Once again, his personal and wholehearted storytelling made an impression on me. When Genesis Rodriguez said, “We haven’t made our films yet.”, I was brought to tears. Even though I am not a filmmaker, movies are a part of my life, just like her and Austin Zajur.
However, not every joke landed. I’m not complaining about the usual sophomoric and irreverent humor. It was some of the pop culture silly jokes that didn’t land well, like predicting how people would stay for an after-credit scene or how Star Wars would have many spin-offs. It wasn’t clever and looked like they tried too hard to make it funny. It’s not as witty as speaking about Death Star politics
Even though we had to listen to these silly jokes, everything else compensated for it. There are fake trailers, fake fun movies, cameo appearances, and relatable and warm moments. I loved it all. This is the best Kevin Smith movie since Clerks II. I will keep watching his films as long as he keeps making them. I hope he goes ahead and makes a full-length of either Astro Blaster or Sister Sugar Walls.
