Mallrats

Mallrats
1995
Directed by Kevin Smith

So. Kevin Smith and I go way back. To me Clerks is one of the best independent comedies ever, as well as a metaphor for my unenthusiastic yet occasionally witty life. I hadn't seen Mallrats in years, as I always considered it inferior to Clerks and Chasing Amy. It was better than I remember it being, but also pretty dated.

Smith landed some decent talent in Jason Lee, Shannon Doherty, and Ben Affleck (ahem...) and clearly got the go-ahead to up production levels for his sophomore effort. The result was a film that looked a lot slicker, but pretty much followed Smith's mythos of slacker guys with zero ambition and their troubles with improbably attractive love interests. People, Kevin Smith was all over that shit long before Judd Apatow and Co.. Give the man some credit!

So Brodie (Lee) and friend TS (Jeremy London - never seen this guy in another movie. Does anybody else think this guy looks too much like Brendan Frasier?) both get dumped by their hot girlfriends (Doherty and Claire Forlani) and decide to go hang out at the mall to blow off some steam. The mall? Seriously? As Brodie waxes poetic about the joys of mall loitering, you have to feel that this movie is showing its age a little. Smith makes the most of his setting, though, and improbable capers ensue. What can I say? While Clerks had one foot firmly entrenched in reality, Mallrats ventures fully into parody and comic-book hijinks. Jay and Silent Bob escape from the police using a Bat-grappling hook. In one of the greatest fanboy cameos ever, Stan Lee himself discusses love, regret, and superhero members with spurned Brodie. The results are generally amusing, but juvenile. Depending on what you're into, a scene involving chocolate-covered pretzels will a) render you ill (like me) or b) be a "recipe for hilarity" (ha ha ha.)

It's hard to discuss acting in a Smith film. Most of the characters are funny but one-dimensional. Ben Affleck is sufficiently asshole-y as a men's store manager/back-door-bandit (reminiscent of his role in Dazed and Confused.) It's awesome to see Ethan Suplee (Randy from "My Name Is Earl") collaborating with Jason Lee for (I think) the first time. Jason Mewes is... Jason Mewes; Jay and Silent Bob (director Smith) procure a lot of laughs without being overexploited (shame on you, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back!) Joey Lauren Adams of Chasing Amy fame is cute as hell, but her elfin voice clearly belies her mythological origins; these types of girls do not exist outside of K. Smithland. Jason Lee is hilarious as usual and the other leads are, well, adequate.

The thing with Kevin Smith is that he's a real sap. Most of his movies are romantic comedies with lewd dialogues, adolescent humour, misopedia, and nerd pop culture references thrown in to disguise the underlying sentimentality. Mallrats is no exception. After misunderstandings, the heroes win their girlfriends back in a sufficiently dramatic fashion and villains are duly punished. But unlike recent effort Zack and Miri Make a Porno, somehow Smith manages to maintain an appropriate cheese-to-humour ratio and the movie is mostly successful.

A minor film with a major nostalgia appeal for men of my particular demographic.

6.8 (out of 10)

Yeah, I totally googled misopedia. I am a proud misopedist. You will look up what that means. I am the law.