Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall. Eventually, they decide to try and win back their significant others and take care of their respective nemeses.
Mallrats is Kevin Smith's sophomore slacker comedy, set almost entirely in a New Jersey mall. The plot is paper-thin and episodic — a series of comedic vignettes loosely strung around the central conceit of two dumped guys moping and scheming — which keeps it well below average narratively. Acting is serviceable with fun ensemble energy from Jason Lee (a standout debut), Jeremy London, and comic cameos, landing above average. Cinematography is flat and functional, typical of Smith's no-frills visual style — the mall setting is rarely used cinematically. Novelty gets a bump for Smith's distinctively vulgar, pop-culture-saturated dialogue and the irreverent comic-book subplot with Stan Lee, giving it a recognizable voice even if it's less original than Clerks. The ending, involving a chaotic game show climax, is entertaining if contrived and broadly satisfying for the genre.