Another outing for Jay and Silent Bob. The second movie in director Kevin Smith’s arsenal, and the first with a Hollywood budget. Smith started working on the script for this movie before “Clerks” had been bought by a distributor. If you asked Smith himself what the tagline for “Mallrats” is, he would tell you that it’s just “Clerks”, but in a mall. He isn’t wrong here, but what he fails to include with that idea is that this movie really bottles the ’90s and serves it up over the course of its two-hour runtime.
The Mall Era:
Before diving into the movie, I need to mention how much “Mallrats” strikes a chord with the latchkey kids of the ’80s and ’90s. Going to the mall, to just go to the mall was really a thing we did. People weren’t just going to shop; they were just going to be there. Grab a cookie, look around at the stores, and hang out with friends. This was the birthplace of the one-stop-shop. You could go on a weekend, and you could almost guarantee your friends would be there because everyone went to the mall. You would get to know some of the people that worked there, maybe the security would get to know you a little too well. The mall was a destination once upon a time. “Mallrats” packages this vibe, this feeling, so well. More than any other teen movie out there.
Synopsis:
“Mallrats” centers around two long time friends, Brody and T.S., as both friends have just been broken up with. Mourning the loss of their true loves, they decided to go where they can truly mend a broken heart, the mall. This is the basis of the plot, and you’d be correct to assume that the movie would include all the crude humor and pop culture references that you’re used to seeing in “Clerks”. But beneath the veil of young adult humor and comic references is a movie with a lot of heart. We have all been that teenager losing the love of your life. That sadness, jealousy, and awkwardness is there right alongside the subtle notion that it doesn’t matter your location, your friends will always be there to pick you up and dust you off. With all the same deadpan humor and that same formula of “a day in the life” of our characters, the movie feels like the natural progression from “Clerks”. This time, our main characters aren’t the clerks, but the customers and they also have problems with the ‘clerks’. As our characters move about the mall, they discover that there is a live taping of a tv show “Truth or Date” being filmed there that day. T.S.’ girlfriend, Brandy, is to be the woman whom the men are trying to swoon. That obviously strikes a chord with T.S. and he and his band of friends (or misfits depending on how you view them) try to stop the show from going on. Eventually they themselves become contestants to throw a wrench into the plans of Mr. Svenning and his show.
Cast:
The cast list is a head turner as well, with Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee being relative newcomers to the industry. This was Jason’s first feature film, but it doesn’t show. Jason handles the role of Brody perfectly; his character is supposed to be a supporting role, but he steals every scene he is in. Ethan had played the school bully in “Boy Meets World”, but this was his first film credit. He had a limited role, one in which he didn’t need to do much besides stare at a magic eye poster. But nevertheless, he did well in the role providing some comic relief and truly exposing how many of us feel about those Magic Eye posters.
Some rising stars include Joey Lauren Adams, Jeremy London, and Ben Affleck. This was not their first film credit but still very much at the beginning of their careers. Joey as Gwen, the supportive and knowledgeable friend/ex girlfriend is a role fit perfect for her. Jeremy plays T.S., and he does a great job. He sits back a bit in his scenes with Jason, letting him take the scene. Jeremy plays that level-headed friend to Jason’s chaos. Together the two of them play well off each other. Ben Affleck being a relative unknown at this point, plays Shannon Hamilton, and he settles into the role as the local bully, similar to his role in Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused”.
Rounding things out is Shannon Doherty and Michael Rooker who were both big names at the time. Oh, and how could I forget Stan Lee, making his first film appearance as himself. We get a little speech from Stan about the Marvel universe to Brody (Jason Lee) which kickstarts Stan Lee’s years of cameos.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack for “Mallrats” is very much set in the mid-90s alternative rock, featuring big names from the era such as Weezer, Bush, Sublime and Silverchair. “Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band is a nice addition during the flea market scenes. Bringing almost a retro used sort of feeling, very fitting for the moment. The Goop’s version of “Build Me Up Buttercup” is used in the elevator scene between Brody and Rene. The music video was also directed by Kevin Smith and features Jay and Silent Bob.
Closing:
So why do I give this a 4 out of 5, why not a perfect score? Well, as much as this is a time capsule from the 90s, giving you all those fuzzy’s inside, it’s not perfect. This is still only Kevin Smith’s second outing, so at times it has this rough feel to it. But some would argue that adds to the vibe. It also has a bit more of a studio feel since it was his first studio film.
As Roger Ebert said in his review on RogerEbert.com on October 20, 1995, “”Clerks” spoke with the sure, clear voice of an original filmmaker. In “Mallrats” the voice is muffled, and we sense instead advice from the tired, the establishment, the timid and other familiar Hollywood executive types.”
You can tell there are scenes in which they had to alter the script, or scenes had to be cut. If you watch the Director’s Cut, you will see, some scenes deserved to be cut as they didn’t add much to the story. But overall, this is a gem of a movie that really embraces that moment in time very well.
Written by Blaine Jensen, Lethbridge Polytechnic
