Mallrats
Kevin Smith is one of the most successful directors in the independent film industry. Many of his movies have gone on to become mainstream hits. Some of Smith's fame is due to his satire of subjects that nobody has thought to ridicule. Clerks portrays retail/convenience store customers as stupid and rude. Dogma slams organized religion (especially Catholicism) harshly. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, being the last movie in the View Askewniverse series, boldly rips on Hollywood itself. Unlike said movies, Mallrats is not slamming anyone or anything; it is daring only because of its crude humor. It is still a fun film to watch with friends and deserves its classification as a College Classic.
T.S. Quint (Jeremy London) and his girlfriend Brandi Svenning (Claire Forlani) are supposed to go on a trip to Florida (T.S. is secretly planning to propose to her there). However, Mr. Svenning asked Brandi to be a contestant on a dating game show that could propel his career in television production. Brandi agrees to the favor, which pissed off T.S. Brandi dumps him for being a selfish bastard. After being forced back into "single" status, T.S. drives to his best friend Brodie's home to chill and think of a way to patch up his problems with Brandi.
Meanwhile, Brodie Bruce receives a Dear John letter from Rene (Shannen Doherty), who is tired of wasting her time dating a Sega-addict with a plethora of personal faults. Brodie and T.S. decide to spend the day at the local mall. Once there, the two buds find out that Mr. Svenning's game show will take place in the mall. Brodie and T.S. fixate on stopping the show and reconciling with their ex's.
Mallrats has a completely different visual appearance than Clerks (black & white) and Chasing Amy (grainy color). The backgrounds in the mall are brighter, which makes Mallrats look "too Hollywood," as one IMDb user comments. This film doesn't have the independent film charm that allowed Chasing Amy and Clerks to become ultra-hits.
On the other hand, who really cares about the cinematography in a comedy anyways? A comedy's job is to make people laugh. Mallrats does its job well, thanks to the excellent line delivery of Jason Lee in his film debut. His voice inflections alone are hilarious. On the other hand, T.S. is not funny at all. Jeremy London is either a bad comedic actor, or T.S. was written as the serious half of the duo. A discussion of humor in a Kevin Smith movie is incomplete without mentioning Jay and Silent Bob, the gut-busting drug-dealing pair that appears in all of the View Askewniverse films. Jay's impromptu dances and random ramblings are indescribable but always entertaining.
The hardcore Kevin Smith fans appreciate Mallrats despite its shortcomings. It doesn't have as much bite as Smith's other projects, but it's still a good movie to watch when you don't feel like thinking. At all.
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Nothing goes better with sexual and drug humor than beer.
As long as you're a better boyfriend than the two male leads, you will have no problems in the romance department.
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