Mallrats (1995) User Reviews

My Ultimate in Pubescent Guilty Pleasures

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 8 November 2008]

After being dumped by their girlfriends, T.S. Quint(Jeremy London) and Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee) go to the mall to keep their minds off the situation. Soon, however, thoughts turn to getting their ladies back and the dynamic duo will have to fight mall security, a fashionable male (Ben Affleck) and a game show producer (Michael Rooker) in order to succeed.

Writing a fair review of "Mallrats" is one of the hardest things for me to do, and it is no surprise that I have not done so in all the years I have been writing reviews. The film came out when I was fourteen, and I went to see it with my cousin at the local mall after a rousing bus trip. We had seen the ambiguous advertisements in the back of comic books for months and just knew this was something we had to see. Once in the theater, we were practically alone -- there were only three other people, including a younger woman and her grandmother, both of whom walked out early on.

For whatever reason, I identified with this film. I had not yet seen "Clerks" and I did not have the background in film to really understand all the references to "Jaws" or "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" or "Apocalypse Now". But the potty humor mixed with the intelligent dialogue (even about scatological topics) hit home with me, and even now -- seventeen years later -- it remains my favorite film, despite my knowing full well it is not critically wonderful and often sexually crude.

I have given the film a high rating because I simply cannot get enough of it. I have the trading cards that were sold at the time, I have visited the Eden Prairie Center where the movie was filmed (it is in Minnesota, not New jersey, strangely enough). But, I want to stress this: my high rating does not by any means indicate this is a critically beautiful film. Read the reviews of the professionals at the time (Ebert, Maltin, and others) and you will see that it was more or less expected to bomb (although I think in hindsight many more people found the film to their liking).

Are there flaws? You bet. Watch Jeremy London, for example. A horrible, horrible actor. Even with these odd, scripted conversations he comes off as forced, and if you watch him while another actor is speaking, you can see him physically preparing himself to speak his lines. He cannot become the character of T.S. Quint, he can only be Jeremy London. Shannon Doherty, likewise, just does not seem to hack it... she is a better actress than many, but this film just did not work for her. She comes off as a reject from "Empire Records", and some lines she delivers make it seem she is not familiar with the subject matter.

Despite the flaws, I am still praising this film. Watch "Clerks" first (even though this one takes place first in chronological order). If you like "Clerks", try this one. Then try "Chasing Amy". All three are great. Personally, I think Kevin Smith's films went downhill after that (although "Red State" is redeeming). He may disagree and I know many of the fans do. But if you do not mind intelligent potty humor, "Mallrats" is for you.

If you can find the mindset, this is heartwarming and entertaining. Otherwise, it's a pointless waste of time

[FiendishDramaturgy · 7/10 · 13 June 2007]

This is a niche film. If you can put yourself into the mindset of a 20-something slacker, who has no ambition whatsoever in life, this film may engender some sense of emotional investment in its characters and a sense of identifying with same. However, if this situation is impossible for you, then you will not only not see the humor herein, you will most likely bemoan the time wasted in its viewing.

This is a Jay and Silent Bob flick wherein the two buds are dumped by their gals, subsequently seeking major wound-licking in the mall. It plays like the Revenge of the Nerds, though not as intelligently, nor with the same amount of heart, but with a more modern spin.

If you've of a mind, this can be highly entertaining. If not, don't say you weren't warned.

It rates a 7.2/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Best watched with eyes closed?

[bradc-2 · 6 July 2003]

As most Smith fanboys know, Mallrats has been trashed critically, financially (bad box-office) and by a lot of Smith's own fan-base.

Personally I like it. Even without watching the DVD with commentary by Smith its obvious that this outing was backed by Hollywood, emitting a polish and lack of gloom that his other films don't have and thus gaining flack over its lack of "Indie" look and feel and hammy storyline. Had this film been in black in white, shot using a cheaper production method, or had a less happier ending, it possibly would have fared better with the fans than it did.

Listen to the dialogue though and its soon apparent this is indeed pure Smith. And it shines. The long diatribes about seemingly nothing, the anti-establishment rumblings of Brody (who ironically spends a lot of the film clarifying escalator ettiquite and other mall law), and a bigger involvement of Jay and Bob (but not too much) make this as good, if not better than the other Kevin Smith films and quite possibly my favourite of his.

Its hard to rate this film, you'll either really like it and give it a 10 or tuck into another chocolate pretzel after giving it a 1.

Glad it received a cult audience

[MovieLuvaMatt · 7/10 · 11 July 2003]

"Mallrats" has found a great cult audience, now that it's out on video and DVD, despite the fact that it was a huge bomb at the box office. That's great to know. And of course, Kevin Smith fans adore the film as well. I happen to be one of those fans, and I always enjoy watching this movie. It has many great lines, though in Kevin Smith tradition, sometimes he falls so much in love with his dialogue that it sometimes feels stilted. I still love the film, but I can't deny that the dialogue doesn't always appear natural. But at least the dialogue is intelligent, which something Smith never gets full credit for. Critics and angry audiences spend too much time dwelling on the profane nature of his work, yet there's tons of comedies out there that are profane, but not the damn bit intelligent. Jason Lee gives a memorable performance as Brodie. This is the role he was born to play! He's up there with Jason Alexander when it comes to playing the neurotic best friend. Michael Rooker also seems to be having a lot of fun, playing a great villain. As for Claire Forlani, I can never get over her disastrous American accent. I'm guessing she learned from her mistakes before doing other American films like "Meet Joe Black," "Antitrust" and "Boys and Girls." In all of those films, she seems to pull off the accent without a hitch. I don't understand why the studio tried to cut down on the film's use of profanity. Just another example of a**hole studio execs trying to take advantage of the independent filmmaker. As if we don't see any studio films with strong pervasive language. "Pulp Fiction" was also a Miramax film. 'Nuff said. You know damn well these execs are prejudice against certain filmmakers. I guess they just assume Smith is some young Neandrathal. Eh, screw them. Though I laughed a good deal, I still find the chocolate-covered pretzel gag downright disgusting. But overall this film is definitely worth checking out!

My score: 7 (out of 10)

Excellent satire

[Starbuck-13 · 10/10 · 12 April 1999]

This movie is really extremely funny.

That is, if you are into either Comics, Science Fiction or Shopping Malls.

The basic idea is simple: Two dumped guys try to win their girl-friends back, and their brilliant strategy is to hang around in the local shopping mall.

What makes the movie work is the wonderful mix of slap stick humor, intelligent puns and gross sexual innuendos. The actors are excellent in their roles, and I was surprised to see Ben Affleck and Claire Forlani, two coming actors, credited for supporting roles.

For a comic fan this movie is a awfully funny experience. But I can imagine that the film looses some of its appeal when you are not familiar with the Marvel and DC comic heroes and the strange passion (and science) of collecting comic books.

And to everybody who has also failed in seeing a sailboat in those dumb 3-D-pictures, this movie provides some comfort...

You can't go wrong with Kevin Smith!!

[kergillian · 7/10 · 30 April 2001]

Granted, it's weaker than his other three films to date. On the other hand, a weak Kevin Smith movie is stronger than a strong film by most other writers/directors. This film is hilarious! It takes mall culture to a higher level! A good contrast to Richard Linklater's/Eric Bogosian's Suburbia, though it's better than Suburbia in most ways. Many of the pop culture refs and the satire of young adult life make this film even cooler! And how the hell did he get Stan Lee to appear? (And he was surprisingly really good!)

This is Shannen Doherty's best role (mainly because she's hardly ever on screen;), Jason Lee's best role, and Jeremy London's best role (not to be confused with twin brother Jason who was the awesome Randall Pink Floyd in Dazed and Confused...though Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams were both in Dazed as well...)

Look for an amusing role played by Ethan Suplee (Seth in American History X)

Overall: this film just plain rocks! It's got great quirky writing, great direction, solid acting, a three-nippled topless clairvoyant, a hilarious love connection parody, a 15 year old nympho (played by the amusing Claire Forlani), Stan Lee...what more could one ask for?? It's not his best, it has flaws, but it's still classic Smith! An easy 7/10!

Wow is the only thing to say here.

[incomprehendible · 10/10 · 28 March 2006]

this is an incredible movie and if your a clerks fan (which I'm assuming is the only Kevin smith film you've seen because its blasphemous to watch them out of order) then this is even better. mallrats is the kind of movie you watch once on DVD and don't take it out of the drawer, because you know you'll wanna watch it later. its laugh out loud funny and anyone remotely interested in the inner workings of a geek or, like me, you are a geek, then this will give voice to the geek generation and make it cool. Recently, The OC has made comic books cool in the form of Seth Cohen. but before there was Seth, there was Brodie.

easily the greatest character lee has ever played and the best character that Smith has ever written, Brodie is obsessed with two things, Comics and himself. and as long as the two are together, he doesn't care. which is exactly what must be changed. ill let you find out how.

jay and silent bob make a welcome comeback in a slightly more central role with a lot more to do. with hilarious results.

i originally put 8 for this movie. but thinking about it again its a 10 and its going in my movies :) l8er days PaUl :)

A cesspool of slackers

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 10 June 2019]

Easily one of the lightest and hijink-filled Kevin Smith movies, "Mallrats" is the unlikely love story buried in a tale of consumerist tomfoolery. There are all sorts of little things happening in this movie that make me laugh, but you've gotta hand it to Jason Lee for really shouldering this thing. The man's working in shades of irate and I don't think he fails to pull off a single line. This is proof he was born to play Banky Edwards in Chasing Amy, and his rage never fails to delight. Doesn't matter what kind of day I'm having, simply hearing him yell "That kid is on the escalator again!" is always a mood-brightener.

Fly, fatass, fly!

[ericjg623 · 8/10 · 13 January 2003]

This is Kevin Smith's first `real' movie, i.e., one made with a real budget, real actors, and backed by a real studio. It was also a commercial and critical flop, most reviewers seem to regard it as his worst movie. That is understandable, seeing as he set such high expectations with `Clerks', a work of pure genius that was made on a budget so low that Smith was forced to use black & white film. `Clerks' is one of my all time favorite films, a classic that will probably still be popular many years from now, and so, by comparison, `Mallrats' simply doesn't measure up. But so what? It's still a great comedy, with lots of moments that make you want to split a gut, and is, IMHO, better than at least 90% of the other teenage/young adult movies out there.

The story (as with most comedies) is pretty basic. It's about a day in the life of two slackers who both get dumped by their girlfriends that morning. They then spend the rest of the day hanging around the mall (in an ironic touch, the mall in question, while supposedly set in New Jersey, is actually about five miles from where I live, in the Minneapolis suburb Eden Prairie) trying to figure out how to win back their girls. Along the way they encounter Kevin Smith's trademark ensemble of oddball characters, most notably Jay & Silent Bob who give what I think are their funniest movie performances. Kevin Smith continues themes established in `Clerks' (and repeated in his following movies) namely, homages to Star Wars, Jaws, and hockey and throws in some new ones, most notably, comics and video games. As in `Clerks', nothing much really happens, the two, as the tagline puts it, aren't at the mall to work or to shop, they're just there. Well, not entirely. Amid their random meanderings and encounters with other Kevin Smith favorites like Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams there is an actual plot, namely, one of the guys is scheming to wreck a TV game show to be broadcast live at the mall later that day and he enlists Jay and Silent Bob to do the dirty deed. Why? Well, it's too complicated to explain in a brief review, but the payoff is hilarious. Whatever else one thinks of this movie, it has to be about the best send up of game shows ever as the dynamic duo infiltrate a Dating Game rip-off and turn the whole thing into a circus. The final 20 minutes or so of this movie is simply some of the funniest stuff you'll see anywhere.

What about the rest? Mostly it's pretty good, although Kevin Smith's penchant for pushing the envelope means he sometimes goes too far when it comes to matters of taste, most notably scenes like the infamous `chocolate pretzel' and a former `Three's Company' star playing a topless fortune teller, not to mention the 15 year old girl who's doing a `science project' that involves having sex with multiple men of varying ages. Also, Smith seems to have some sort of fixation on homosexuality that keeps coming up (pardon the pun) in his movies. Is he simply using gay jokes as a means of getting a cheap laugh or is this his way of working out some personal `issues'? I don't know and, further, I don't care because I think there are better, more creative ways to get a laugh. But, these complaints aside, this movie is still funny as hell, and, as with `Clerks', Smith proves he has a good ear for tunes to accompany the film, especially in the title sequence which features all the characters drawn comic book style. Very original, and it works perfectly. One final comment: I personally think the best way to watch his movies is to view them in order; this, for example, gives us the same basic slacker attitude and mentality of `Clerks', only in color and with a much bigger budget. He then went for the `quality' flick with `Chasing Amy' followed by the `issues' flick in `Dogma', finally returning to pure comedy in `Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back'. For one, the movies are all related, and each new one refers to his previous ones. Many of the jokes only make sense if you understand the context. And also, someone who saw the much more dramatic and polished `Chasing Amy' first and this film later might tend to dismiss it as sophomoric trash, not realizing that Smith got his start doing pure comedy, not romantic drama. In sum, this is a film in the tradition of `Airplane!' or `Scary Movie' in that it's all about going to any length to get a laugh, and, for the most part, it succeeds splendidly.

8/10

PS. As with all his other movies, Kevin Smith goes to considerable length to please his fans with his DVD's. They are all chock full of extra features, deleted scenes and the like, and his commentaries are some of the best in the movie business. Smith obviously knows he has a highly loyal fan base, and he returns that loyalty in spades.

Jason Lee is King!!!!

[allar100 · 7/10 · 27 February 2003]

This is really a starring vehicle for Jason Lee. Lee seems to be the bright point in all of Kevin Smith's films. Technically this film is like all of Kevin Smith's others. Not alot of camera movement, imperfect editing, the usual. But that is not what really matters. The story and the comedic timing is what is most important, and Smith has more than enough to go around. 7/10

Hilarious comedy

[theshadow908 · 8/10 · 26 July 2006]

Mallrats tells the story of two friends who are dumped by their girlfriends on the same day. They seek solace at the local mall where they hang out all day doing nothing but talk about their girlfriends and comic books. They get into a series of situations that eventually leads to the two enlisting the help of slackers Jay and Silent Bob to get their girlfriends back. This is the second film in the "New Jersey" series by Kevin Smith. This entry is miles better than its predecessor Clerks.

I loved how Kevin Smith did this movie. Kevin Smith is a comic book geek, so I'm glad he made a movie to portray that taste. Comic book lovers will truly enjoy all the references and parodies within the film. I know I did. That's what made the movie even more enjoyable to me. The appearance of Stan Lee was the cherry on the ice cream for me. Aside from that, this movie is just paced and styled better than Clerks was. This was non stop laughs whereas Clerks was more of a satirical black comedy. Also, a lot happened throughout the film even though it only takes place within a day and within the same mall, rather than Clerks which was slow moving and downright boring in some parts.

I enjoyed the acting in this movie. Jason Lee is hilarious as comic book fanatic Brodie Bruce. Jay and Silent Bob have a lot more to do in this film than in Clerks, and they make some of the funniest scenes in the movie.

Overall, Kevin Smith had his practice with Clerks, so he had the resources to make a better film, and he certainly did. If you liked Clerks, or even if you didn't, you'll love Mallrats.

8/10

For those who think hanging around the mall is boring and a waste of time: Mallrats proves it beyond doubt.

[oneguyrambling · 6/10 · 23 July 2011]

Let's play Kevin Smith movie Bingo:

Comic-book references.

Fluid jokes and potty talk.

Dirty stuff discussed at length but never shown.

Gross outs.

More swearing.

Samey-sounding indie rock.

Star Wars and superhero references.

Jay & Silent Bob.

And Bingo was his name-O!

All of this is built around a featherweight plot designed to get characters from cunnilingus-related story A to prison-sex joke B.

In the case of Mallrats T.S. and Brody are buddies and both are unceremoniously dumped on the same morning, T.S. by the vacuous and Avatar-looking Claire Forlani, Brody by Shannon Doherty in her biggest role since 90210… what range!

The boys decide "screw it, let's go to the mall".

Brody is a frequent visitor and knows the mall back to front, it is fair to say that he is quite passionate about the mall and the value that it has for society, in fact between Brody and T.S. they seem to know almost everyone in the damn place.

And so on and so forth: The characters talk like no-one actually talks, only in a Smith way not a Tarantino way, there is generally pointless human interaction between the leads and the usual Kevin Smith regulars (Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, etc), and the entire plot revolves around the boys trying to sabotage a game show run by T.S.'s ex's Father.

The ending is farcical, it seems like much more time was spent shoehorning in pop culture references and dirty jokes than the actual story, much like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which at least had better jokes and knew it was dumb.

I would be willing to forgive this if the thing was just funnier. But the fact is that it isn't, the reason Mallrats was caned by the critics isn't because of the potty talk and innuendo (even if it was), it was because in between all that there is a distinct lack of actual jokes.

I know Kevin Smith has done some good stuff in between this and the execrable Cop Out. I remain a big fan of Clerks, thought Dogma was both funny and creative and even liked Clerks 2 much more than I expected, but like the girl with the little curl "when he is good he is very, very good, but when he is lazy he is just boring".

Final Rating – 5 / 10. For those who think that hanging around the mall is a boring, unfunny waste of time (basically every guy over 18); Mallrats proves it beyond doubt.

Feels like a high school play with a budget

[bgaiv · 5/10 · 19 July 2021]

There's a lot of surprisingly weak acting here, surprising considering the material doesn't require much heavy lifting. It often comes across as a high school play.

It seems Kevin Smith movies really click with some and not others. They don't click much for me. While there are some very funny moments, most of this film consists of lengthy rambled "gags" that are a chuckle at best.

Very funny if you live in Smith's world

[bob the moo · 27 September 2001]

I guess that people can be split in two ways - those that like Kevin Smith's films and those that don't. From watching his films, he seems to like his characters to exist in his strange world where things are exaggerated and ridiculous characters do unrealistic things.

That sums up Mallrats - it's the story of two friends who both lose their girlfriends and then spend the rest of the day hanging around in the local mall. Whilst hanging around they meet friends and get into scrapes as they strive to get their girlfriends back.

I suppose if you looked at it coolly it's all a bit silly - fully of ridiculous situations and scrapes that are resolved in unbelievable ways. But then if you accept Smith's world of comic book style adventures and cartoon film making then this is great. Whereas his later Chasing Amy brings adult subjects into the comedy - this is pure cartoon comedy, although understand it's not dumb like slapstick - but crazy, clever humour with plenty of jokes occuring all around the main action.

OK the overall plot is weak at best, but the story is more about the characters and the situations along the journey to the end of the film and here is where Smith wins. He has created crazy characters that are funny and often exaggerated versions of people or of people's reactions to situations (witness the magic-eye poster guy for an example of exaggerated humour).

Lee is fantastic, this is the role he was made for - he reacts in an exaggerated way to everything and really hams it up. I suppose he's a comic-book reading loser but in this world he is funny and in control. He is loud and abusive to others and it's great! Jeremy London is a weak straight man and doesn't really convince.

Jay & Silent Bob are good as always - although for most of the movie they exist in their own little subplot of taking on the mall police. Again their adventures are exaggerated for humour.

If you hated Clerks and Smith's other movies then you'll hate this. However if this world is one that appeals to you then you'll love this movie's reckless abandonment of reality and enjoy the adventures involved in a trip to the mall.

Stands the test of time - Entertaining and Funny

[nino-scholz · 9/10 · 9 November 2019]

Just watched this again for the first time in maybe 15 years. Of all the Kevin Smith films i've been revisiting, this is the one i've enjoyed watching again the most. Jason Lee is completely natural in this role and had me laughing constantly. I found myself thinking Shannon Doherty was doing a good job as well. Aside from that, alot of the gags in this movie just work and the ending ties everything together satisfyingly.

This is the first time I saw the extended version which I honestly found unnecessary. The movie is a better overall package in the theatrical cut.

A wannabe cult film that falls well short of Kevin Smith's supposed 'genius' nametag.

[johnnyboyz · 6/10 · 19 November 2006]

'Mallrats' is the second film from writer/director Kevin Smith; and despite his accolades and masses of fans; is nothing to get too excited about.

Although the film carries a nice, realistic feeling through most of it as well as maintaining a nice atmosphere for most of the duration, the film is overall of poor quality. I'll admit that the humour put through via dialogue is smooth and close to seamless as well as the fact it contains entertaining one liners and interesting repetitions of a certain jokes; something we saw in 'Clerks.' (1994) that was used to good effect, albeit a little too often.

Although the basics seem to be present and are exploited well, the real bulk of Mallrats: its plot, characters and acting all fail to live up to the hype. The film begins to play out like a love triangle comedy and although the script is trying to paper over the cracks, it doesn't take a genius to see that, really, it's just a load of slapstick humour in a mall with a love theme (I say 'theme' because there is not enough evidence to suggest this is a romance story). The fact that a shopping mall is used as the setting for the duration of the film is a little silly and as a 'world' for the characters, it soon grates. The settings become repetitive, the scenes predictable and the whole thing just gets frustrating.

Before I saw the film, it was built up as one thing, but what the finish product was, was something completely different. It was a cheap, wannabe cult film that ended up like a rom-com with a load of slapstick. I mean, how many times can you re-watch a film where someone trips, flies through the air and crashes into a female changing room booth door and is supposed to act as the humour?

The plot for the film is supposed to read something like the following: 'Two guys are dumped by their girlfriends and hang around a mall all day'. Fine, but where's the rest of it? There are numerous, ludicrous events that happen during the film such as the silly recording of a date game show (yawn) and the daft tactics that the characters Jay and Silent Bob use to defeat security guards (Batman gadgets to winch away to safety?!). Things like this can only be put up with for so long before they become tiresome and unbelievable. The film was built up as something much more simple than this so why didn't it play out in a much simpler manner? Perhaps more similar to Clerks.

Although some of the acting by Jay and Silent Bob is rather funny and the script is witty in general, especially the opening monologue which was a great way to announce the film, Mallrats is let down by its inability to keep a good, consistent, realistic joke going in the long run. The antics and slapstick become dull and by the time the laughably bad climax has arrived, you really have switched off; pretty much entirely. Fans of this will like it for a while but will grow out of it in time but by that time, a whole new generation will have come along and started to like it, so I guess at least that's a good thing.

Funny,Youth Oriented,Fresh,Surprisingly Insightful

[sidpachy · 9/10 · 15 June 2005]

An Excellent comedy linking desperate characters via the medium of a mall. The USP of the movie is Jason Lee's boxer like jabs of comedy that keep coming one after the another and of course the antics of J and silent Bob.

On a more serious note the movie has no profound meaning or logic behind it but nevertheless the its so natural that it can definitely hold its own.Its a movie that caters to the youth. However it would have been even better if Jeremy London and Ben Affleck did some real acting rather than just stand there. Well every movie has a few glitches but overall two thumbs up to Kevin Smith for encapsulating the youth mentality .( A must see)

Malls: An American History by Kevin Smith

[questl-18592 · 7/10 · 2 December 2021]

This is a Kevin Smith movie. I kinda feel like that's all most people need to know. Personally, I really like it, it's more ridiculous and unrealistic than Clerks ever was but the man knows how to work his Jersey charms and deliver some memorable dialogue and performances. Beyond that, with how much malls are changing and declining in recent years, it's an interesting snapshot of the past to see a movie centered around this thriving, bustling shopping center that acted as the central hang out and retail melting pot. Oh how the times change.

Decent Enough Comedy.

[yearspew · 8/10 · 21 June 2008]

I have enjoyed pretty much every Kevin Smith movie. I have some favorites like Clerks, Clerks II and Chasing Amy. And some that I consider funny enough but lacking something to make them a favorite of mine. Mallrats is one of those movies.

Smith's previous movie Clerks is my favorite of his. I did not expect another Clerks in Mallrats and I wasn't disappointed with the result. I think Mallrats works as a simple 80's style comedy, yet trying to maintain elements that made Clerks such a great film.

The main characters T.S. (Jeremy London) and Brodie (Jason Lee) are, in a way, the Dante and Randal (the protagonists of Clerks) of this movie. The character traits are similar, T.S. would be Dante, the straight man, and Brodie would be Randal, the "wacky" funny one.

The big, and I mean big difference is that both characters from Clerks are equally interesting. This is not the case in Mallrats. While Brodie Bruce is perhaps the funniest and most memorable character in the movie, T.S. feels like a dull, weakly-written character that doesn't get any better with Jeremy London's acting. Jason Lee is hilarious, but his weak buddy hurts what could have been a memorable partnership.

As for the story, it's alright. I cannot praise it much but I can't bash it either.

The supporting characters are, however, very good. Ethan Suplee as Willam Black aka the sailboat guy is very funny, and Michael Rooker as Mr. Svenning is a scene-stealer sometimes. The girls (Shannen Doherty and Claire Forlani) did a decent job, but nothing remarkable about it. And of course Jay and Silent Bob who are always great. This is the first movie, though, to feature the current version of Silent Bob. That is a more animated and lively Bob, as opposed to the serious, more introverted version from Clerks.

So, to finish, Mallrats is a movie I enjoy, but one that does not get better with each viewing. Still, good for laughs.

THE POWER OF THE COMICS FANS

[SUPERNOVA HEIGHTS · 8/10 · 21 June 2003]

Mallrats is perhaps the best film of Kevin Smith with Clerks For these reasons.

1.The screen is very funny,It presents two comics Fans in their Own territory THE MALL 2.The cameo of Stan "the man" Lee 3. Jail and Silent Bob are the best 4. The spirit of the nineties is present on the film

For that Mallrats is one of the best comedies of the last ten years.

SENTENCE:EXCELLENT *****

A Chinese opinion

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 11 March 2007]

Kevin Smith is a kind of strange species in Hollywood, I've seen his two films before, JERSEY GIRL and DOGMA. But not the most famous one THE CLERK, that's why I haven't seen CLERK 2 up to the present, and I think I'll watch them together one day.

As for this movie, still quite Kevin Smith, we can find the famous Jay and Silent Bob here, also the regular cast including Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams etc.

The plot line is kinda funny, most of the scenes happened in a local mall, two guys are going to win their girlfriends back, not like teen movie s these days, this one contains numerous japes which are neither dirty nor tacky, the measure between between humor and smarty is hard to handle, this film manages it very well. Although in my opinion, Michael Rooker gives a rather gross performance (it's horrible to see his fat ass on screen!).

As a Chinese, Kevin Smith seems too local for me, so I don't think I'm his loyal fan, but he's intelligent and has some good quality to make more WIDER films, and I do like silent bob, he's the funniest part in this film.

Truly, genuinely horrible

[gtc83 · 1/10 · 1 May 2004]

This movie is about two of the most unlikable, unsympathetic losers ever portrayed in recent memory. They get dumped by their girlfriends - really they should get dumped by the entire world. They are self-centered in the extreme, immature in the extreme, and incredibly annoying. The whole movie is based on a single gimmick: take an actual conversation, transcribe it into Microsoft Word, then use the thesaurus tool to replace every adjective with more obscure ones. That's it. It goes on without pause for the entire film - people talk about nothing in this "clever" way. I just saw the film last night and I honestly can't remember a single topic of any conversation that took place. Needless to say, the two main characters are beyond shallow. They don't have any personalities other than that they like video games, comic books, and they just will not stop talking - ever. Even though they never say anything. We're supposed to be impressed by the clever use of oddball words, for instance calling a pool table a "gaming table". Man, wouldn't you just love to sit through two hours of people doing this? Let me tell you, it makes Pauly Shore and his screwball take on Valley Girl talk seem enjoyable by comparison.

There are other characters: Shannon Doherty puts in a cameo. She's really the only likable character in the movie, and says about the only funny line. Some other girl who's name doesn't deserve to be remembered plays the other loser's girlfriend. She recites a few lines of dialog at the beginning, a few more towards the end. Another girl named Gwen starts out all right, she's like Kelly Bundy from Married with Children, except twice as slutty, but by the end of her part she's speaking via the thesaurus as well. Jay and Silent Bob? Jay is a stoner who acts like he's got to go to the bathroom really bad; Bob is just a fat idiot who spends the whole movie pointing his hand at things and trying to use "the force" to move objects. There's also a comic book writer who shows up to inject a large amount of padding into a scene. The head doofus asks him if that guy from the Fantastic Four who was made out of rock, well, was his you-know-what made out of rock as well? Is that wacky or what? Ha ha. This goes on and on.

Overall, this movie is flat out unwatchable. The special features on the DVD are a joke as well. It's advertised as having over an hour of deleted scenes. The first ten minutes of these deleted scenes consists of a film of an unused script. Actual film of the script, you know, hold the camera in front of the paper and slowly pan down. About two thirds of the "scenes" are the writer talking about the scenes. There's supposedly a trailer on the DVD as well - good luck trying to find it.

It's not there to win any awards. It's not there as a cinematic masterpiece. It's just there.

[David, Film Freak · 4 August 2002]

The second movie in Kevin Smith's 5 film View Askewniverse series is Mallrats - a charming comedy about two losers, who, after being dumped by their girlfriends decide to spend a day at the mall. - and try and win their girls back. Jason Lee and Jeremy London play the dumped-and-depressed duo of ex-boyfriends who both succeed in bringing to life the characters of . Shannen Doherty and Claire Forlani - the two ex-girlfriends also perform well here. It's been said - not just by critics and fans, but by Kevin Smith himself, that Mallrats is a bad movie - and by far the worst of his 5. Personally, I rate this 3rd... with Dogma in front, and Chasing Amy last - I found this movie to be funny, charming and completely entertaining. Ben Affleck's character was also funny to watch. Jay & Silent Bob appear to add the cartoon comedy flavour, while Stan Lee cameos in an hilarious performance of himself.

I liked the script and the way that the movie was paced, although at times seemed like the scenes were stretched further than they should be. The sets were good and the lighting and cinematography is good also. I don't really have any major gripes about this film, it's just that, there are better movies in Kevin Smith's series.

Same Smith Formula but new location!

[Sylviastel · 7/10 · 27 April 2008]

Kevin Smith wrote and directed this crowd pleaser about two dumped young guys who spend the day at the local mall. As usual, Smith has his regular cast mates like Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Silent Bob and Jay. In this film, we see Earl's Jason Lee and his on screen brother Randy played by Ethan Suplee who has a role in the film as Willam trying to see the sailboat in a picture. The film takes place in early Spring because of the Easter holiday where there is an Easter bunny taking pictures with children. There is Shannen Doherty playing Renee, the ex-girlfriend of Jason Lee's character, Brodie. The film has some nice moments about a television show being taped at the mall. It's a shame that they cut Elizabeth Ashley, a brilliant actress. The film also pays homage to Smith's love of comic books with Stan Lee as himself. It's an okay, entertaining film but not brilliant and not one of my favorites.

Epic 'Comic Book' Series

[smudgepost · 8/10 · 11 January 2004]

Fabulous Movie. I suggest watching this cult epidemic in order too, and yes you either love it or hate it!

Many well defined and colourful characters all with a key role in a movie that just keeps you glued to the screen. Many great one-liners too, a definate must see, although perhaps not your average family movie!