Mallrats (1995) ***1/2

I was never a mallrat. I went to the mall, like anyone else, but I didn't enjoy "hanging out" there or spending more time than necessary. I preferred to frequent places like New England-based retailer Newbury Comics (where I eventually worked from 2000–2008)—this was in the days before many of their stores were in malls—to pore over compact discs and vinyl. Nevertheless, when I was 15 (and after falling head over heels for Kevin Smith's debut Clerks on video the previous year), I could find enough to relate to in his sophomore effort, Mallrats, to greatly enjoy it. 

A notorious box office bomb, Mallrats has gone on to have a cult following—Smith referred to it as "the Blade Runner of comedy" (my review of that film here) in a commentary for the film. I've always liked it a little less than Clerks but always found it funny (hilarious at times, honestly), so it's been strange to see the turnaround in attitude toward the film. It always felt like a sister film to Clerks and an appropriate follow-up—Smith took a similar approach to his debut, added color, upped the budget, action, and stars, and made his raunchy version of a John Hughes rom-com.

Not all of Mallrats has aged that well but it's still quite funny and almost as quotable as Clerks. Some of the delivery feels a bit forced and I don't love every character in every role, but when it lands, Mallrats is a crude classic in its own right. It presaged pop culture, comics and superheroes becoming mainstream, and it continues to live on and find new generations of fans.

You can find my Kevin Smith Feature Films Ranked list here.