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Mallrats
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Starring: | Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes |
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| Directed By: | Kevin Smith | |
| Written By: | Kevin Smith |
Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? How the noble David felled the mighty Goliath with just one stone? Well picture if you will Kevin Smith as underdog god-boy David, and Mainstream Hollywood as the unsanitary Goliath. The fight for dominance, originality and quality is on.
Mallrats was a pretty unexpected film. In the end-credits of Clerks, it is mentioned that Jay & Silent Bob will return in Dogma. So where the hell did Mallrats & Chasing Amy come from? I don't know the full story, but it appears that the studios realised Kevin Smith's potential and decided to use it for their own despicable means. Hence Mallrats.
Mallrats is an unhealthy mix of talent and Hollywood. As such, it weighs uneasily upon the mind. Disturbingly, there are obvious "Hollywood moments", when all originality and style fly out of the window, only to be replaced by slush and cheese. The unfortunate truth is that (in my opinion), Kevin Smith writes and directs film as he would want to see them in the cinema. Hollywood only wants to see films that pull in the typical braindead audiences (you know, the ones who thought that Mission: Impossible 2 was romantic, stylish and unpredictable). Unlike with Clerks, the studios are now paying for the film, so they do have an unfortunate influence over the content; which is a shame, as most of the executives know little about good movies. These changes are clumsily added grafts, which ruin the flow and style of the film. They're the moments which will have the more intelligent film-goers rolling their eyes in disgust, and the Titanic fans gushing with pleasure. The witty lines and ideas are lost on these sad individuals, pleasing those with a desire for originality. As a result, both parties will leave unsatisfied. The more tasteful will feel cheated out of complete quality, whereas the cliche-lovers will wonder why the whole film wasn't more like those few "romantic" moments.
Despite this, it is more than possible to enjoy Mallrats. It follows the fortunes of two recently dumped guys as they try to cope with a day forgetting their troubles. Another simple plot moulded into a masterpiece from the mind of Mr. Smith. Predictably, Jay & Silent Bob appear to offer their services (and steal the film in the process), as well as several familiar faces from Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma popping up from time to time. Any other plot is incidental. This is why I like Kevin Smith's work, there's a true feeling of teamwork and comradeship. Because they've worked together before (and will again), these actors are comfortable in their roles. Also, because they mention events that occur in the other films, you feel like you already know these people, and you want to be their friends. You don't feel like an observer, you inhabit the same living, breathing world as they do.
Unfortunately, unlike most of Kevin Smith's films, there's not much else to be said for Mallrats. It's not intellectually stimulating and doesn't raise any moral or ethical issues. Having said that though, it's still a cut above the majority of Hollywood's efforts.
Summary: The fight between David & Goliath is over, and there's no clear winner. Hollywood tried to drag Kevin Smith down, but instead he became a tougher survivor & learnt how to manipulate the studios for his own gain. Top man.
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