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Mallrats [HD DVD] [1995] [US Import]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

The "sophmore jinx" hit hard for this second film by Kevin Smith, whose debut Clerks transcended the limits of its setting and budget to become memorably funny and a cult classic. (Smith followed Mallrats with the wonderful Chasing Amy, only to be cursed again with the appalling Dogma. Clearly he's settling into the same one-off rhythm that afflicts the Star Trek movies.) A ramshackle comedy set in a mall, Mallrats follows several storylines involving lovers, enemies, friends, goofballs, and Smith's own character "Silent Bob", who also appeared in all the other Smith films. A heavy self-consciousness weighs on everything, as if Smith forgot how to make obscenity funny instead of tedious. Still, it's nice to see some of the director's film family on screen, among them Ben Affleck before he was famous, Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams. --Sally Chatsworth


Underrated Follow-up to Clerks and Predecessor to Chasing Amy
Review date: 2007-09-30 Rating: 8 out of 10

After Smith's widely acclaimed debut Clerks, this was destined to be slated by critics, but for those who can accept films for what they are and for those who are die-hard Kevin Smith fans, you will enjoy this light-hearted flick with more loveable characters and more side-splitting dialogue.

Jason Lee gives a hilarious lead turn and a scene-stealing performance by Michael Rooker (whom I was surprised to find so funny) along with more hilarious moments with the fantastic Jay and Silent Bob. This is very trashy, but then all of Smith's movies are, but they don't try to be anything they're not, they just are what they are; ingeniously simple and highly enjoyable.

The stinkpalm scene is almost as funny as the Silence Of The Mewes scene in Clerks II! Worth buying just for that scene!

This really flopped at the cinema and was hated by critics, but is quickly being rediscovered on DVD, worth buying if you can find it under £10.

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Reviews


KEVIN SMITH DELIVERS ONCE AGAIN WITH MALLRATS
Review date: 2007-07-29 Rating: 8 out of 10

After being dumped by their girlfriends, T.S and Brodie decide to head to the mall for the day to forget their worries. But after all the mayhem they manage to get up to in the mall, they just can't get their ex-girlfriends off their mind. So the two team up with the help of Jay and Silent Bob to come up with a plan to win them back. Though, they got the likes of T.S' girlfriend's dad and that of a scummy store manager to overcome before winning back their girls.

Don't you just love the self-loathing, slacker generation! After the huge and promising success that was "Clerks" for director/writer Kevin Smith. Obiviously there was pressure to repeat that winning formula with his follow up. Even though "Mallrats" is a more bigger and polished studio bound production of "Clerks" set in the mall, it just didn't take off at all. It came and went by with little interest. Maybe it doesn't hold that fundamentally cunning humour and smarting realism that made the low budget film "Clerks" originally quirky and fresh. But this commercially mainstream project isn't all a failure, because the film still does come up with an entertaining tale of laid-back characters with a muster of jokes set-up in a mall. Definitely much more crass and juvenile are the gags this time and somewhat the humour tries to be funny than naturally being it. But what compensates it is that there was a continuous roll with one after another, so if one didn't work out there's another that would hopefully evoke a laugh. The film is actually made up of little episodes that happen throughout the day with something endlessly popping up and many characters deciding to make a scene. It's all over the place you can say. There are some memorably comical sequences like that of the Stan Lee cameo, the Easter bunny and that of the cheesy date game show. But there's one lewd segment involving chocolate pretzels, which will make you barf.

What makes this quite fun is that of the lively performances of Jason Lee's self-absorbed Brodie and the always reliable pairing of Jay and Silent Bob. Also adding to the enjoyable mess are Shannon Doherty, Claire Forlani, Jeremy London, Joey Lauren Adams, Priscilla Barnes, Michael Rooker and a slimy performance by Ben Affleck. The spontaneous dialog is self-conscious with its referential gags and it's filled with a carefree attitude and pure nonsense amongst the stemming wisdom and frankness. Especially those facts considering that of the mall's customs and the respect it deserves. Though, I thought it turned into moralistic babble in the dying stages. But these things don't take away from sarcastic interplay and skits that are generated throughout the running time, even though it really seems like an eccentric melodrama with humorous overtones at times. A nice bubblegum rock soundtrack crops up to mould itself within the context and the camera-work has a professional touch too. The best way to take it is to see it as good undemanding fun!

Smith tried outdoing himself here, but sometimes it doesn't work and it seems more conventional than his other films, but that doesn't stop this from being alluringly amusing and satisfying when you comes to the ending credits.

Super Cult.
Review date: 2007-05-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

A Kevin Smith movie as good as they get. This one is a must if you like movies such as Dogma, Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob and so on. Get it before your neighbor.

Watered-down Smith, but still very funny
Review date: 2007-03-08 Rating: 8 out of 10

Long before Jersey Girl, writer/director Kevin Smith made his first foray into more mainstream films with Mallrats. It's the story of Brodie and T.S., two recently dumped guys who spend the day at the local mall where they talk about their lives in a very Clerks-like manner, attempt to win back their respective girlfriends, and engage the services of Jay and Silent Bob to wreck Michael Rooker's TV game show.

As with Clerks, this has no real visual style, but also like Clerks what makes it worth watching is the hilarious banter between Smith's characters. A good deal of it is on the nerdy side (comics and whatnot) but there are plenty of funny moments like the Batman homages, a debate on Superman's love life, the infamous stink palm, and a nice cameo by Marvel comics supremo Stan Lee. Also, a topless psychic.

Non-Smith regulars Jeremy London and Claire Forlani are a little on the bland side, while Beverly Hills 90210 star Shannon Doherty fits in okay. The film is stolen, however, by Jason Lee as sarcastic Sega boy Brodie. This character is very similar to Clerks guy Randal, but Lee brings more than enough charisma to make this role his own. He's very, very funny, and probably the best reason to watch this one.

Although Mallrats has a somewhat compromised feel (with Smith's caustic style sitting uneasily in a film that is trying to be a mainstream comedy), this is one is still funny enough to be a worthwhile watch.

would u like a chocolate covered pretzle??
Review date: 2007-02-08 Rating: 10 out of 10

this was the first kevin smith film i ever watched. it was on a friends reccommendation and i still thank him 2 this day! laugh a minute (if not laugh a second) tomfoolery abounds here, even if your not a fan of smith n his movies please just try this, its cheap enough these days n trust me, u wont regret it!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Shannen Doherty
Jeremy London
Claire Forlani
Ben Affleck
Jason Lee

Creators:
Shannen Doherty (Primary Contributor)
Jeremy London (Primary Contributor)
David Klein (Cinematographer)
Kevin Smith (Writer)
Caldecot Chubb (Producer)
James Jacks (Producer)
Laura Greenlee (Producer)
Scott Mosier (Producer)
Sean Daniel (Producer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
EAN: 0025193294425
Binding: HD DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Colour, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen,
Release date: 2007-06-26
Universal product code (UPC): 025193294425
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Running time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1995-10-20
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: French (Dubbed)

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