Interview: Kevin Smith Returns to Get Into ‘The 4:30 Movie’

Getting to talk to Kevin Smith is a real delight for me. Two years ago, we had a terrific conversation for Clerks III here, finally sitting down with him after a long time trying to make it happen (and having unofficial chats previously). So, now that the seal has been broken, of course I wanted to have him back to talk about The 4:30 Movie, arguably one of his most personal films yet. Being a big fan of the flick, we were able to work it out, initially for the theatrical release last month, but an emergency put that off until earlier in the week. Now, with the movie having hit digital yesterday, I can present to you my new discussion with Smith.

In my review of The 4:30 Movie here, I had the following, in part, to say about Smith’s work:

Filmmaker Kevin Smith really mines his teenage years for material here, with the result being quite enjoyable. Fans will recall several of his stories from childhood popping up either as anecdotes or actually plot moments. It’s a nice quality that the script doesn’t require you to know them for these sequences to work. It’s just specificity that adds to the flavor of the broth. As for his direction, it remains simple, though shooting in the multiplex he used to frequent and now owns serves as inspiration, as well as smart budgeting. He’s also delighting in crafting both fake trailers and a fake movie that our heroes are watching. Those bits of creativity make The 4:30 Movie stand out even more so than it already does. At the same time, he never loses sight of the love story at its core. Sure, there are jokes about where film culture would be headed, but mostly, this is about a teen boy who wants to kiss a teen girl again.

Below, you can see my latest chat with Smith. We had limited time, so two talkative cats like ourselves certainly had to speed through this, but I think there’s some gold still to be mined.

Here now is my interview with The 4:30 Movie filmmaker Kevin Smith. Enjoy:

The 4:30 Movie is available on digital now!