Mallrats

[Vivek]

Watched Mallrats today after a long time and reconfirmed my stance on it. Mallrats has always been my favourite Kevin Smith movie and it still is.

I know Mallrats continues to get flak from many fans and viewers. Clerks and Chasing Amy are definitely better films and probably Smith's strongest works, but I still prefer Mallrats over them for the more fun and entertaining factor. It's still hilarious, including so many great lines.

It's surprising to know that the movie cost $6 million back then in 1995 despite it being limited in its scope and shooting locations.

And at a time now when adding comic and pop culture references in movies and TV episodes are becoming sort of a cliche and are almost passe during certain instances, Kevin Smith back then managed to make it seem organic with his writing and infused it naturally through his characters and plot lines. It also probably helped that not many film and TV people were doing those things at that time.

 

[CelticPredator]

Plus, it has Michael Rooker. You can make anything watchable with Michael Rooker.

But I like the movie fine. Most hate the **** out of it now. But it's OK.

 

[batfan08]

Merle cut off his hand because he couldn't get rid of the stink palm.

 

[Vivek]

Merle cut off his hand because he couldn't get rid of the stink palm.

Oh man, that was brilliant.

 

[BadMoon]

Mallrats was my Kevin Smith gateway drug I guess. But Chasing Amy is his best movie. I really enjoyed Clerks and Clerks 2 as well. Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are my least favorite.

 

[krec9]

Good movie.

 

[karamazov80]

Pretty sure this was the first Kevin Smith movie I saw, as well. When I was a teenager I really got into him. Loved Clerks and Dogma back in the day (Dogma was one of the first DVDs I ever bought, along with Fight Club). Now, I don't have much use for his films.

 

[morbidaj]

The alternate intro and deleted scenes really tie it all together too!

 

[crows]

I never knew of the hate this movie had either until after a while after I Saw it.
That being said, it didn't do it for me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't care too much for it. It was not as good as Clerks and none of the jokes made me laugh.
Like I said, didn't hate it or anything but for me it was just forgettable.

then later on I learned about all this hate people had for it.

 

[Deckard]

I never got why people hate Smith but I also don't get why they love him. To me he's not someone who should be as famous or have anywhere near as much pull as he does, I just find him completely mediocre.

Mallrats and Clerks are ok, everything else he's done is pretty meh. Jay and Silent Bob just feel like a Cheech and Chong ripoff to me, only even more childish/less funny if that's possible. Just seems like his core fanbase are 16 year olds and than most grow out of him.

 

[Johnny Utah]

HATE HATE HATE Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Love Mallrats, really like Chasing Amy, Clerks I'll watch the odd time, same with Dogma. Don't even rate Clerks 2.

 

[EVILFACE]

Smith's best movie, but that isn't saying much.

Lauren Adams was cute in it.

 

[crows]

from all his movies, the only one I truly really hate is Jay and Silent Bob. What a waste of time.
It is one of those movies that just makes me a little bit upset I wasted my time on.

Chasing Amy was cool, Dogma was pretty good actually. Even Jersey Girl was fine (which a lot of people hate)
Zack and Miri Make a Porno was pretty funny. I Loved Clerks 2, I think that is his best movie for me.

 

[karamazov80]

Just seems like his core fanbase are 16 year olds and than most grow out of him.

Strange how I've done an about face with this guy. Not sure there is any other filmmaker of that time where the same thing happened for me. I got into Tarantino back in the '90s, but still love his work. Same with the Coen Bros. But Smith didn't stick.

Kevin Smith is sort of like Green Day to me, or Mortal Kombat 2. LOVED them back in those days, but I would only revisit them today out of some feeling of nostalgia for the period.

Having said that, I do appreciate that Kevin Smith played a big role in exposing comic geek culture to the masses. I'm not totally sure that good comic book movies would have started happening if not for him and the cultural niche that he represented. Back in those days, you didn't have many filmmakers clearly caring about comics, and wanting to see them and their fans treated with more respect. Lest we forget the Shumacher Bat-films. But there were many of us who knew that comic films could be treated seriously and succeed commercially at the same time, and damn if we weren't right.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

Merle cut off his hand because he couldn't get rid of the stink palm.

Amazing!!!


~~Mallrats was my first exposure to Kevin Smith, and easily one of my favorite movies he's done. It's not his "best" movie, but definitely the most re-watchable movie he's made IMO. Jay and Silent Bob were funny the first 2 times I watched it, but after that any time I watch it I feel like Neo the first time he went back into the Matrix after getting unplugged.

 

[a-dev]

Haven't seen Mallrats in years but Clerks and Clerks 2 really hit home with me given the kind of job I'm in and have been in for years, too terrified and not really wanting to do anything else with my life.

 

[karamazov80]

Yeah, Clerks was very relatable to me as a teen, as I felt like an underachiever who wasn't interested in putting out the effort it took to really succeed at anything. In a sense, that still sums up much of what I do

 

[hairlesswookiee]

Yeah, Clerks was very relatable to me as a teen, as I felt like an underachiever who wasn't interested in putting out the effort it took to really succeed at anything. In a sense, that still sums up much of what I do

Agreed.

 

[a-dev]

Yeah, Clerks was very relatable to me as a teen, as I felt like an underachiever who wasn't interested in putting out the effort it took to really succeed at anything. In a sense, that still sums up much of what I do

Theres no 'in a sense' bit for me. It still sums me up exactly the same now as it did 10 years ago. Thats why I also like Clerks 2, these guys are exactly the same and still complaining about the exact same stuff when they're 30 as they did at 22 or whatever age they were in the first film

 

[ProgMatinee]

Our generation. The great slackers.

Why be anything else?

For me, Smith has some brilliant moments and then the potty humor takes over and wipes out half his success. He is essentially one of his own characters. Incredibly smart but I think he lacks the self editing to become truly a great director. Takes 2 steps forward and 1 step back, so he never fully developed.