TS Quint (Jeremy London) and Brodie (Jason Lee) have just been dumped by their girlfriends--Brandi (Claire Forlani) and Rene (Shannen Doherty) respectively. Incapable of fully dealing with the destruction of their love lives, they wander the mall looking for a way to win back the girls’ love and right the wrongs in their lives. Faced with some unprecedented obstacles throughout the course of the day, both TS and Brodie come to realize the reality of their situations and begin to understand what needs to be done to get their lives in order. Mallrats is their story.
With the overnight success of Clerks Kevin Smith saw an opportunity to express himself again with the part spinoff, part sequel Mallrats. His comedy, both utterly stupid and existentially intriguing, continues in Mallrats, this time with new characters and in a bigger establishment, the mall. Transitioning from a small convenient store to a mall provided Smith with the opportunity to expand his range and present viewers with a more complete understanding of his capabilities. Not that anyone ever really doubted what Smith would be able to accomplish with a sequel, but to spend an estimated eight thousand dollars, in total, on this film is a challenge for even the sharpest minds. Mallrats finds Smith within his element once again, and fully able, with a more technically talented cast (for the most part), reel back in his audience--who were still in hysterics from Clerks--and provide them with the comedy they deserve.
It feels impossible not to compare Mallrats to Clerks, even if that does seem a bit unfair. The reality is that viewers wanted similar content, and that’s exactly what they received. Moments of cringeworthy one-liners and inappropriate content fuels a fire that seems like it may never burn out. Both London and Lee possess a similar vigor to O’Halloran and Anderson, and their chemistry shines brightly throughout the course of the film. While they are able to impress much like the protagonists in Smith’s previous film, the content doesn’t hold up quite as well as it did in Clerks. The content doesn’t feel quite as layered as before (again, it’s similar, but not as profound as the content in Clerks), failing to live up to the precedent set by Smith. Regardless of that precedent, Mallrats keeps viewers laughing from beginning to end.
Mallrats, as everyone had expected, entertained for the duration. It’s chock full of ups and downs, never allowing viewers to lose interest and strengthening the world’s understanding that Smith is a force to be reckoned with in the field of writing and direction. While Mallrats is delightfully funny, informative, and generally entertaining, it feels that its purpose is more to solidify Smith’s place in Hollywood and prove that he’s more than just a one hit wonder. Mallrats does just that and helps to further pave the way for his success in the industry. The fact that this installment in the Askewniverse doesn’t fully live up to the hype of Clerks is something that can be overlooked given the effect it had on Smith’s trajectory through the world of cinema.
Written & Directed by Kevin Smith.
Starring Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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