Mallrats (1995)

I think writer-director Kevin Smith inadvertently tapped into something big when he made "Clerks.", and that was presenting Generation-X to audiences before they even knew what Generation-X was. Teenagers no longer live to work, eeking out their living to support themselves and their family, they work to live--and barely do that. I work in downtown Seattle, and everyday there is a group of about two dozen twenty-somethings who do nothing but stand around, bum cigarettes and money off strangers, and occasionally ride their skateboards which are more for appearances than anything else. They don't work, have probably never had a single original thought in their lives and are generally just a public nuisance. And the thing of it is is that they have no reason to be anything else. The top 5% of the population are smart enough and industrious enough to have built a nation which allows our youth the freedom to explore their passions, even if those passions are simply smoking and skating. That is Generation-X, and damn Smith if he didn't see it coming before the rest of us.

"Mallrats" is a less a of a sequel and more of a sister piece to "Clerks." which follows TS and Brodie, two best buds who have just been dumped, as they try to console themselves and win back their girls by loitering in a mall all day. Shenanigans and general idiocy ensue, and there are happy endings all around (in probably more ways than one). The film is dumb, it's pointless, it's sometimes absurd, and a few times it's genius. That just seems to be how Smith works, and I approve.

I couldn't possibly say this with certainty, but I don't think he actually wanted to make this film. The script's formula is almost exactly that of "Clerks.": 1. Two dudes have relationship issues. One is the simple, good guy whose fortunes are turned on him by external forces, and the other is an affable sack of shit who seems to know everything while at the same time being a complete idiot. 2. Their day is focused on one random location that could enter any young man's life on a routine basis, i.e. a convenience store or a mall. 3. Episodes featuring an eccentric array of supporting, orbital characters like Jay and Silent Bob affect the guys' chances of reclaiming their girls. 4. A ridiculous climax fits all the pieces together oh so nicely.

So why would Smith want to make the same film twice? I don't think he did. The amped up ludicrousness of it all makes it seem too much like self-parody for me not to question his motives. Even though his choice of actors is questionable as are his directorial techniques, one thing I can't short-change him on is the amount of ideas floating around in his head. If anything he too many of them and has a terrible editing eye, which leads me to believe he was pressured into revisiting an idea he had already executed so well.

It is for this reason that I don't appreciate this film. What I have not lost my respect for, however, is really giving a solid picture of today's youth. I watched TS and Brodie and all the gang in that mall, not shopping, not doing anything, just hanging around and causing problems for others, and I saw my teenage years. I saw those hoodlums across the street. I listened to their conversation about the possibility of Superman's sun-powered sperm destroying Lois Lane's reproductive organs, and I heard all of the asininely insightful conversations I've ever had with my mallrat friends, and that made me smile.

I haven't seen Smith's other films, but I plan to; he's caught my attention. Although I hope the story is more original than this last picture, I also hope he doesn't lose his genuine spirit.

2/4