Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Mallrats’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

There was a time when the indoor mall, ruled the land. They drew people of all ages and walks of life to their sprawling locations back in the day, life in large part due to the fact that everything you ever needed was right at your fingertips in this place. The phrase ‘one stop shopping’ made so much sense in these incredible monuments to consumerism and I have many a fond memory of these places.  

After all, there was an arcade in my mall when I was growing up, and plenty to eat, toys to see, you were never bored because they were a special place, and when you spent enough time there on the weekends it truly had a sense of community. After all, it was rare to not see your friends there, or get to know some of the people that worked there, because well...everyone went to the mall and it is that sense of community and need to be at the mall that immediately attracted me to Kevin Smith's Mallrats. 

T.S. is in the middle of a crisis. Brandi Svenning, the love of his life, the girl he plans to propose to at Universal Studios when Jaws pops out of the water, has broken up with him. But he is not alone in his heartbreak. His best friend Brodie has just seen his relationship with Rene come to an end as well. With both men devastated and blindsided by their respective breakups, they decide there is only one action that can comfort them...a trip to the mall.  

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Yes, the plot in a nutshell really is that simple and that's the beauty of Mallrats, because it tricks you. What seems like it should be a simple laugh a minute comedy becomes anything but as Writer/Director Kevin Smith does what he does best, by delivering unto us a surprisingly intelligent film that once again offers up a unique slice of life that we’ve all experienced at some point or another.

After all, we’ve all endured heartbreak and we’ve all been at the point after a breakup where we feel the need to get out into the world with our friends in order to feel better, but the film continues to dive deeper. It actually manages to take an incredibly in depth look into relationships and what we want out of love. Communication, or the lack thereof, the need to give and take and trust and even taking a moment to admit you were wrong are all explored in this film and it makes the motion picture touching on so many levels.  

But don't get me wrong, you're going to laugh and laugh plenty as well. Jay and Silent Bob return, so I really need not say more there. Not to mention, there's some top-notch performances in this film, and a few actors that steal the show. Ben Affleck and Michael Rooker come to mind...but perhaps the finest performance of them all comes from Jason Lee in his breakout role as Brodie. Regardless, while this film was not a box office darling, it's a cult classic for many reasons and also because, it's a damn good film and one worth watching over and over again since you'll find something new every time you pop it in.  

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