Jóvenes modernos

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.

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 :.

To everybody who did not like this movie: You are not obviously Kevin Smith fans. I am, and everyone one of the NJ3 are great. This one is just different. Shannen Doherty is surprisingly cool in this one, and Jason Lee is hysterical. Jay and Silent Bob are hysterical as usual, and everyone else is great. Watch if you are a Smith fan, just keep an open mind.

Two underachieving slackers T. S. Quint (Jeremy London) and Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee) both lose their girlfriends on the same day Quint's girlfriend Brandi (Claire Forlani) breaking up with him due to wedges with her father and would-be TV producer Jared Svenning (Michael Rooker), while Brodie's girlfriend Rene (Shannen Doherty) breaks up with him due to his lack of drive, motivation, or ambition. With nothing else for them to do, Quint and Brodie spend time at the local mall where fate crosses their paths with their exes, troublemakers Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), and various mallgoers and staff with grievances against the two.

Mallrats is the sophomore film of writer/director Kevin Smith that marked Smith's first studio project after the breakout success of Clerks impressed producer James Jacks enough to set up a film at Universal. As is the case with many indie directors who transition to the studio environment, Smith had often had to press producers to allow him on certain choices such as the casting of Ben Affleck or in the case of Jay's casting Universal's insistence that either Seth Green or Breckin Meyer played the part (with the Jason Mewes' dailies luckily putting the kibosh on such mandates). When the movie was released it did garner some positive reviews such as from Variety, but most critics tended to look upon it negatively and commercially it underperformed but would later find an audience through home video. Mallrats does show a struggle in smith reconciling his indie rawness with studio polish, but of the 90s slacker/gross-out comedies this was certainly one of the more ambitious and consistently funny of them.

Rather than a slice of life type affair that Smith presented in his debut film Clerks, Mallrats is a built on a more conventional "boy loses girl, boy gets girl back" type story that is primarily a driving engine for the setpieces and jokes within the New Jersey mall where much of the action takes place. While our two leads in Jeremy London's Quint and Jason Lee's Brodie are cut from a similar cloth to Dante and Randall, there's also an undeniably "studio" feeling with the film falling in line with the edgy Gen-Xer types of humor that defined the 90s such as in Beavis & Butt-Head. As Mallrats is primarily a delivery system for various jokes and physical comedy stunts, the film very much lives and dies on its gags and for the most part they work more often than they don't. Particularly standout scenes involving a topless fortune teller, an extended cameo by Stan Lee, and a climax set around a shameless Dating Game knock-off lead to some solid laughs especially from Jason Lee's Brodie who showcases some superb comedic timing. Admittedly some of the pacing could've been tightened up as Smith doesn't feel like he's fully acclimated to a studio comedy (a fact made even more clear in the extended cut which while posessing a certain curiosity factor is more of a glorified workprint with most of the cuts that have been made being positives).

Mallrats has found itself the subject of a cult following since its initial failed release and of that era of 90s slacker/gross-out films it stands above many of its contemporaries and has much snappier dialogue and creativity. Not as quotable or as influential as Clerks, but nonetheless an entertaining but flawed sophomore effort.

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.