Mallrats (1995)

Kevin Smith's second feature film, Mallrats, arrived in 1995 on the back of the critical and cult success of Clerks, his debut shot in black and white on a famously tiny budget. Where Clerks was confined to a convenience store and a video shop, Mallrats opened things up, literally and tonally, transplanting Smith's brand of pop-culture-saturated, relationship-obsessed comedy to a New Jersey shopping centre. Produced through his own View Askew Productions in partnership with Gramercy Pictures and Alphaville Films, it was a step up in scale and polish, though not necessarily in reputation. The film was a box-office disappointment on release, grossing a modest sum against its studio budget, and critics were largely cool on it. Over time, however, it found a devoted audience on home video, becoming one of the more fondly remembered entries in what Smith would come to call the View Askewniverse, a loose shared universe of slacker comedies connected by recurring characters, sensibilities, and an enduring love of comic books and lowbrow philosophy.

The premise is straightforward enough: two best friends, both dumped by their girlfriends on the same morning, retreat to their local mall to lick their wounds and, inevitably, try to win the women back while dealing with the various obstacles and oddballs the mall has to offer. Smith regular Jason Lee takes on the role of Brodie Bruce, a comic-book obsessive whose social skills are, to put it charitably, underdeveloped. Jeremy London plays the more conventionally romantic T.S. Quint, while Shannen Doherty and Claire Forlani fill the roles of the two women they are trying to win back. A young Ben Affleck appears as the antagonist, a role that feels almost quaintly against-type given where his career would later head. The ensemble is game and energetic, even when the material asks them to do fairly broad work. Smith regulars Jay and Silent Bob also appear, as they do throughout the View Askewniverse, and if you want more of those two you can find other entries in that particular saga reviewed here: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.

Culturally, Mallrats is a reasonably accurate snapshot of a particular mid-1990s American moment: the shopping mall as social hub, Gen X aimlessness as a kind of art form, and the idea that long, digressive conversations about superheroes and relationships could carry a film on their own. It sits alongside Chasing Amy, the film Smith made two years later, as part of a run of work that cemented his reputation as a writer with a very specific, very recognisable voice. Whether that voice is to your taste is, of course, another matter entirely.

Mallrats is one of those Kevin Smith films that hits differently depending on your age. As a teen, I absolutely loved it, full of sarcastic quips, comic book references, and that slacker charm that made View Askewniverse feel like a secret club for misfit nerds. Revisiting it as an adult? It’s… alright. The energy’s still there, Jason Lee as Brodie is genuinely funny in his angry, heartbroken desperation, and the whole “trial by gameshow” climax has a ridiculous sincerity that kind of wins you over. It’s very much a product of mid-90s Gen X mall culture: aimless, self-aware, packed with long conversations about nothing, and powered entirely by pop culture obsession. There are moments that still land but let’s be honest, it drags, the humour hasn’t all aged well, and the plot is basically just an excuse to move characters from store to store. What felt deep at 17 now feels juvenile or overly contrived. It’s not bad, just limited. It doesn’t have the heart of Clerks, but it’s got its own goofy rhythm. Nostalgic fun for fans, mildly entertaining for everyone else. A time capsule of 90s slacker comedy that’s more charming than essential.

I think that assessment pretty much squares with where I've landed on it too. There's a version of this film that lives rent-free in the head of anyone who encountered it at exactly the right age, and revisiting it now is a slightly bittersweet experience, like finding an old mixtape that's got a few bangers and a lot of filler. Jason Lee really does carry a good chunk of it on his shoulders, and when the film leans into his particular brand of indignant, nerdy fury, it's genuinely enjoyable. But the seams show, and they show more each time. It's the kind of film I'd happily leave on in the background but wouldn't specifically recommend to anyone coming to it cold in 2024. A fond relic, more than anything else. Sometimes that's enough.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 1995  | Watched: 2025-09-19

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Trailer

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Related on Movies With Macca

More from Kevin Smith: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019) · Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) · Clerks (1994) · Chasing Amy (1997)
More with Jason Lee: Chasing Amy (1997)
More from the 1990s: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · Blue (1993) · Cemetery Man (1994)
More romance: The Eagle (1925) · The Last Picture Show (1971) · The General (1926) · The Docks of New York (1928)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)