Mallrats - is it any good?

mcmullanbrush

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I was a big fan of Clerks, but the only other Kevin Smith film I had seen was Dogma which I found a little disappointing.

On the recommendation of several people on this forum, I bought Chasing Amy which I liked very much.

So I thought I might try Mallrats, would anyone who has seen this be kind enough to offer me their opinion please:)
 
Sorry Phillip, Mallrats is loads better than Chasing Amy.

I'm sure you'll love Mallrats as its the nearest to Clerks goofiness out of all Kevin Smith's films. Plenty of Jay and Silent Bob bits ( whilst they were good). And the stink palm....well, say no more.....
 
I agree, mallrats is fantastic! One of the most amusing films i have seen.

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Mallrats is ok at best. In my opinion it is not as good as Chasing Amy and not in the same league as Clerks.

No doubt worth a buy if it is going cheap just do not expect too much.
 
Mallrats is well worth a view. It is clearly an early work and of low budget, but for all that it has some very funny moments and sets up the whole Silent Bob and Jay thing nicely and comic book appreciation. Shanon Doherty stars and even Stan Lee appears as the comic God of wise words - which sort of links Chasing Amy. If nothing else, there's a three nippled woman...
 
I think Jason Lee saves this film. He is turning into a very good actor capable of very diverse roles.
He was also in my opinion one the most naturally gifted skateboarders I have ever seen.(kickflip backside tailside 1990)
And I dont think Mallrats is better than Chasing Amy.
 
You'll probably find quite a few differing opinions on which is better; Mallrats or Chasing Amy.

Mallrats is Kevin Smith's "sellout film". (which he admits) It's funny, and silly, and slightly dirty. Apparently, the studio wanted an intelligent Porkys. Where Mallrats is pure Comedy, Chasing Amy is more Comedy/Drama.

It's really hard to compare the two because they are so different. But, they are both good movies in their own right, and if you liked Clerks, then you should like both of them. But, if you are a comic geek, then you would definitely enjoy Mallrats.
 
Haven't seen either so I'll have to track them down along with Clerks... saw Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back at the weekend though and it was quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen.
 
'Mallrats' is Kevin Smith's worst film, yet still OK.

At least it was something he could direct (barely), being set in one place. Just point and shoot.

What's that Mr Smith, cinematography you call it? If you say so!
 
Mallrats is the source of one the funniest moments I've had in hotel. A few years ago, I was on a trip to Jakarta and the hotel was showing Mallrats as the'film of the night'. The signals were piped up to the rooms from a laserdisc player (it had to turn over half way through) and a few minutes before the end, the film ended abruptly. I rang reception (where no-one spoke good English) and asked them to put the film back on.

I kid you not - five minutes later, a porter knocks at the door. I open the door and he's holding a lightbulb, thinking that I'd reported a blown light!!:D :D

So, the moral of the story is, in Indonesian "can you put on the end of the film" means "the bulb in my room has blown".

Apologies for the slight diversion and apologies to any Indonesians reading this thread

:)
 
Ok lets set the record straight. There's no such thing as a bad Kevin Smith film, but Kevin Smith sets his stall out with Clerks.....I mean dead guys with hard ons.......FANTASTIC! That's the story we want from then on in and with Mallrats he delivers, but with Chasing Amy,as good as it is, it falls a little short.

If you want comedy/drama as Azrikam pointed out cool, but why not buy a comedy, then a drama.There's plenty of them!

Mallrats is the epitomy of the the whole teen/mall/comic culture that Smith and viewaskew stand for!You've only got to check out Jay and silent Bob strike..... to see that.

So there you have it, from a true, full time mall/comic/viewaskew loving fan....MALLRATS RULES! SNOOTCHIES!
 
Just think how great they might have been if they'd had someone to direct instead of the writer deciding to do it himself.
 
Oh, Mallrats had a really good audio commentary too. Smith even makes fun of his own directing style, which is kind of... um, unimaginative?

But, it's a goofball comedy, so I don't think it detracts from the film too much.
 
I haven't seen Clerks or Chasing Amy, but I watched Mall Rats on BBC2 a couple of years ago and thought it was really good :)
 
Clerks is by far his best movie. Mallrats is good, however it tends to be a little more simplistic and not so conversation driven as his other films. (Haven't seen J&SB strike back yet).
 
I bought it and watched it last night.

I didnt like it :(

Humour seemed juvenile and charmless.

If anyone would like the region 1 special edition, I will be trading it in the classified section.
 
Clerks = Excellent very inovative and ground breaking for Smiths first film. I liked this film alot.

Mallrats = Again excellent, Daft, dumb, stupid etc. With best thing about it is Jason Lee the comic mad Skateboarder who also starred in Dogma, he made this film what it was.

Chasing Amy = Kevin Smiths best offering ever. More polished film due to the storyline and still contains the humour.

The Comics = The comics were released which have stories containing all your favourite characters and even fills in the gaps left between the movies.

Dogma = Like other films only with a budget. Good film with some great mainstream actors included. Seems the bigger the budget the less control Smith has over his films either that or he is just running out of ideas.

Clerks The Animated Series = Funny and has quirky jokes relating to the other movies, but it aint the Simpsons funny ha ha.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back = Um apart from it being Kevin Smith film and having Jay and Silent Bob in it and a sarcastic take on Star Wars + more. IT SUCKED!! Ooh apart from the babes in cat suits and the Scooby Doo bit etc. Ok it was good for bits just not a whole movie.

Vulgar = From ViewAskew the company that brought you the other films. The new offering, I was gonna buy this in Florida but was unsure if it would suck or not and it is a complete change in direction for this company. It Stars Brian O'Halloran who is Dante Hicks in Clerks and Gil Hicks (Dantes cousin) in Mallrats. It also stars Jason Mewes aka Jay.

You can find out about it for yourselves but:

"Vulgar" prompted a mass walkout when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival a year and a half ago. But for those willing to risk being made very uncomfortable, this instant cult classic announces the arrival of a distinctive new talent behind the camera.

It contains a male rape scene.

Oh and Kevin Smiths latest is Jersey Girl with Ben Affleck (Who was the bomb in Phantoms) and J(Nice butt)Lo.
 

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