Film

Mallrats

Name: Mallrats
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Released: 1995
Cast: Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck

Buddy comedy
Light-hearted

Kevin Smith's '90s comedy about two dumped guys camped out at the mall, scheming to win back their exes. It's a hangout movie disguised as a plot, sustained by riffing dialogue, comic-book riffs, and the particular electricity of Ben Affleck playing against type as a beautiful, stupid man. Made for anyone who finds the mall itself a character.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love Kevin Smith's chatty, pop-culture-soaked comedy, where the jokes come thick and fast and the dialogue about comics, movies and girls feels like overheard late-night talk between friends.

Skip it if you want tight plotting or a steady build, since the film wanders from one shaggy set piece to another and its humour leans on juvenile gags that may grate after a while.

What it asks of you: It runs about an hour and a half and asks you to sit through long, talky scenes that ramble on purpose, with the energy coming from the banter rather than from any escalating stakes.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Clerks1994

Smith's debut is even rawer—ninety minutes of argument and tangent behind a convenience-store counter, shot in black and white on a shoestring. Same DNA as Mallrats: talk as entertainment, characters you'd actually want to hang around.

But Black and white, no music budget, and the dialogue moves at conversational rather than comedic pace. Some find it precious rather than funny.

Chasing Amy1997

Smith's romantic comedy with actual romantic stakes. Same riff-heavy dialogue, but the heart weighs more. Ben Affleck is again perfectly cast, and the late-film conversation about desire and identity still lands hard.

But The gender politics aged messily. And Smith's earnestness, which works when he commits, can feel performative when it doesn't.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back2001

Smith leans fully into comedy anarchism here. It's a victory lap through his own universe with the gloves off, frequently stupid, occasionally genius. The Comic-Con sequence alone is worth the price of entry.

But It's self-indulgent by design. If you don't already love these characters, the in-jokes will feel like an inside joke you're not invited to.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Mallrats

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Slacker1990

Both films understand that hanging out is enough. Slacker pioneered the format; Mallrats applied it to the '90s mall and romantic comedy.

Linklater's 85-minute aimless odyssey through Austin is a structural ancestor of Mallrats—no plot, just a shifting group of talkers riffing on ideas and culture. It's what Smith was reacting to: the mall as a location, but the conversation as the substance.

But Shot on a budget that shows, with no conventional narrative. If you watch Mallrats for the plot setup, this will feel like nothing at all is happening.

Dazed and Confused1993

Linklater's hangout classic about the last day of school. Like Mallrats, it's plot-light and character-heavy, more interested in how people talk and flirt and waste time than in getting anywhere fast.

But Nothing really happens. If you need momentum and stakes, the shapelessness will feel like a flaw rather than a feature.

Heathers1989

Dark teen comedy with sharp dialogue and a mall scene that kicks ass. It's meaner and nastier than Mallrats, but shares the same delight in observing how young people actually talk and posture.

But It's cynical in a way Mallrats isn't. And it ends with suicide. Comfort viewing this is not.

High Fidelity2000

Basically a feature-length riff about relationships and taste in music and movies. The dialogue has Smith's DNA all over it—characters breaking the fourth wall, ranking things, talking over each other with genuine affection.

But The protagonist's self-awareness doesn't extend to his own selfishness. Watching a man not learn his lesson can exhaust you.

Reality Bites1994

Fincher's debut is a '90s time capsule about recent graduates figuring life out. Sharp, cynical, full of the same youthful riffing on pop culture and authenticity that Smith was mining.

But It's dated in a way that's sometimes precious. And the third act romance feels unearned, which is probably deliberate but doesn't make it easier to watch.

Superbad2007

A hangout comedy about two dopey best friends trying to figure out girls, structured more tightly than Mallrats but with the same warmth underneath the jokes. It actually nails teenage friendship.

But It leans heavily on gross-out humor. If crude is a dealbreaker, nothing here will convert you.

I Love You, Man2009

Bromance comedy with real affection between its leads and a surprising number of laughs. It has Mallrats' interest in talking through feelings, but with a bigger budget and nicer hair.

But It's broad. The humor aims for the middle of the room, and lands there consistently without surprising anyone.

After Hours1985

Both films treat their location as a character. Scorsese's city is hostile; Smith's mall is home. But they're equally fascinated by how a place shapes behavior.

Scorsese's fever dream of a night out in Lower Manhattan, where a simple plan cascades into nightmare chaos. It's comedic but unsettling, and it loves the texture of a specific place—the way Mallrats loves the mall.

But It's paranoid and darkly weird, without the warmth that makes Mallrats work. Also shot in Scorsese's favorite mode: anxiety elevated to an art form.

Pumping Iron1977

Both films are fascinated by male friendship, performance, and the way guys talk to each other when they think nobody's keeping score. Mallrats does it through comic-store talk; Pumping Iron does it through posing and gym banter. Same DNA, different muscles.

Documentary about bodybuilders training for Mr. Olympia, featuring young Arnold Schwarzenegger in his natural state. It's a hangout film about narcissism and friendship, funnier and more honest than any narrative film about the same subject.

But It's about people obsessed with their bodies in ways that can be uncomfortable to watch. And the 1970s vibe is aggressively unfashionable.