A review by Brooks Rich
Kevin Smith's 1995 follow up to Clerks takes on mall culture and is told from the point of view of the people who spend their days at the mall… this is where they solve their problems, try to find their place in the world. Mallrats is deinfetly more comedic than Clerks – though it does have some of the bittersweet musings that come from Dante and Randall's conversations. This film’s two main characters, TS and Brodie, argue about whether the cookie stand is part of the food court or if Lois Lane could carry Superman's child. Like in Clerks, these are important arguments.
The loose plot revolves around TS and Brodie, Jeremy London and Jason Lee, trying to reunite with their girlfriends. They have just been dumped! They also need to avoid the dreaded mall security guard and the jerk salesman from a men's clothing store – played by a very fun and douchey Ben Affleck. Along the way they enlist the help of Jay and Silent Bob, (my least favorite characters in the film), to help sabotage a dating game type show TS's ex-girlfriend is going to appear on as a favor to her father.
For awhile this film and Clerks went back and forth as my all-time favorite Kevin Smith film. I now always give the win to Clerks… but Mallrats is a total riot. Clerks was so crude and dark at times and while Mallrats has the language, it doesn't go to some of the bleaker places Clerks does. TS and Brodie are always fun loving characters and they clearly have a goal: get their girlfriends back and sabotage the dating show to spite the father of TS's ex-girlfriend, Brandi.
Out of the first three films Smith made, this probably the least of them. It feels like an outlier. He would vastly mature for his next film, Chasing Amy, which along with Clerks are his two highest rated films. But Mallrats is a good time and one of Smith's films that I revisit often.
Kevin Smith's 1995 follow up to Clerks takes on mall culture and is told from the point of view of the people who spend their days at the mall… this is where they solve their problems, try to find their place in the world. Mallrats is deinfetly more comedic than Clerks – though it does have some of the bittersweet musings that come from Dante and Randall's conversations. This film’s two main characters, TS and Brodie, argue about whether the cookie stand is part of the food court or if Lois Lane could carry Superman's child. Like in Clerks, these are important arguments.
The loose plot revolves around TS and Brodie, Jeremy London and Jason Lee, trying to reunite with their girlfriends. They have just been dumped! They also need to avoid the dreaded mall security guard and the jerk salesman from a men's clothing store – played by a very fun and douchey Ben Affleck. Along the way they enlist the help of Jay and Silent Bob, (my least favorite characters in the film), to help sabotage a dating game type show TS's ex-girlfriend is going to appear on as a favor to her father.
For awhile this film and Clerks went back and forth as my all-time favorite Kevin Smith film. I now always give the win to Clerks… but Mallrats is a total riot. Clerks was so crude and dark at times and while Mallrats has the language, it doesn't go to some of the bleaker places Clerks does. TS and Brodie are always fun loving characters and they clearly have a goal: get their girlfriends back and sabotage the dating show to spite the father of TS's ex-girlfriend, Brandi.
Out of the first three films Smith made, this probably the least of them. It feels like an outlier. He would vastly mature for his next film, Chasing Amy, which along with Clerks are his two highest rated films. But Mallrats is a good time and one of Smith's films that I revisit often.
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