Mallrats Collectors Edition (1995)

"...a broad range of effective comedy...  James Berardinelli's ReelViews

Editor's Note When a couple of well-meaning slackers, T.S. (Jeremy London) and Brodie (Jason Lee), lose their girlfriends, they set about trying to reclaim their pride (and their ladies) in the most obvious of places--the mall. Once there, the pair push the limits of decency and mall etiquette, encountering an array of mall denizens, including Jay and Silent Bob from CLERKS and legendary comic book creator Stan Lee. A surprising number of misadventures ensue, bringing the boys the possibility of regaining their lady loves.

	Ben Affleck
	Jason Lee
	Jeremy London
	Joey Lauren Adams
	Michael Rooker
	Priscilla Barnes
	Shannen Doherty
	Claire Forlani
	David Klein - Cinematography
	Kevin Smith - Director
	Caldecott Chubb - Executive Producer
	Ira Newborne - Musical Score
	Kevin Smith - Writer

Director Kevin Smith's sophomore effort is bigger and more farcical than CLERKS, but, at its center, remains the story of two guys who know a lot about STAR WARS and comic books and all-too-little about women. T.S. (Jeremy London) has just been dumped by girlfriend Brandi (Claire Forlani), while Brodie has finally played too many games of Sega hockey for Rene (Shannen Doherty). The boys go to the mall to console themselves around establishments such as Burning Flesh tanning salon, Rug Munchers carpet outlet, and Buy Me Toys, but they can't seem to stay out of trouble. Their misadventures finally come to focus around Brandi's involvement in a DATING GAME-like show being taped in the mall. While trying to win back their respective girlfriends, the duo manage to do quite a bit of damage with the aid of Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), who have even less to do on a Saturday in suburban New Jersey than T.S. and Brodie. Smith's ability to evoke the settings of his youth is as sharp and unerring as ever, while most of the ensemble delights in chewing the scenery--especially Michael Rooker as Brandi's game-show producer father and Ben Affleck as a slacker-hating thug. Entertainment Weekly
"...[Lee makes] an impressively charming acting debut..." -- Rating: B 11/03/1995 pp.44-5

Variety
"...It's a picture with an innate charm and honesty....MALLRATS is effortlessly engaging in its totally unselfconscious manner and humor..." 10/16/1995

Box Office Magazine 0 of 10
...a surprisingly clever and hilariously bizarre take on the Gen-X teen experience.... The entire cast has fun with their roles and in turn are fun to watch. - Christine James

Washington Post 0 of 10
A disjointed but infectious series of comic vignettes, toilet humor, practical jokes, sight gags, even a sort of grunge variation on Keystone Kops slapstick, this slacker white paper about a day in a shopping mall in suburban Jersey definitely pushes the edge of the gross-out envelope... The film does have a surprising sweet spirit, however, and a lot of laughs. - Hal Hinson