Mallrats ---- *** (out of 5) (1995)
Cast: Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck
Director(s): Kevin Smith
Screenwriter(s): Kevin Smith
Released on: October 20, 1995
Reviewed on: March 21, 2004
Rated: R - for profanity, mature themes, nudity, and brief violence
Writer/director Kevin Smith's sophomore effort MALLRATS is given more of a focused commercial approach unlike its modest predecessor, CLERKS, that was reportedly given a mere budget of $27,000. However, CLERKS was one of the better offbeat comedies that I've seen because of Kevin Smith's no-holds-barred style of writing that made the film such a hilarious picture to experience. MALLRATS takes us into a full-color environment that totally overshadows Smith's humble black-and-white world from his previous film. MALLRATS isn't as funny as CLERKS, but how can you expect it to be with CLERKS being as side-splittingly funny as it was? Although, I do feel that MALLRATS could have been better by shying away from plot contrivances and ludicrous situations that are sometimes hard to swallow.
We are introduced to the life of a guy probably in his early twenties named T.S. who is setting up for he and his girlfriend, Brandi, to take a trip to Florida where he intends to propose to her. But on the day of their departure, she dumps him at the last minute to appear on her father's game show Truth or Date so it won't be cancelled. Meanwhile, a situation of the same ilk occurs in which a man named Brody is dumped by his girlfriend, Rene, because she doesn't like how his life only revolves around video games and comic books. T.S. and Brody discuss each other's situations and decide to put the past behind them by spending a nice day at the mall. But at the mall, they encounter their ex-girlfriends along with a slew of oddball characters like Jay and Silent Bob, the duo returning from CLERKS; Willam, a guy who is trying to find the hidden picture in a 3D painting; Trish, a 15-year-old girl doing research on a sex book; and a jerk from the store, Fashionable Male, who easily hooks up with Rene after her broken relationship with Brody.
The sophomore jinx is a curse that is said to affect a director's second film and make it a total flop. While many critics insist that Kevin Smith has fallen victim to this curse with MALLRATS, I found that despite the picture's flaws, it was a highly enjoyable one. The funniest lines in the film come mostly from Brody, who delivers them in such a sharp, subtle way that he catches you off-guard and makes you laugh all that much harder. Some of the best ones include a discussion of the power of Superman's sperm while others come from the foul mouth of Jason Mewes as Jay, whose profane stoner attitude makes him a treat to behold. There are a lot of implausible contrivances that probably would have ruined any other film, but Smith's creative juices that ran rampant in CLERKS are still holding up with his second release, MALLRATS, and this makes it a worthwhile comedy that deserves to at least be rented.
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