Mallrats (1999)

Collector's Edition DVD

Mallrats marks the second film for filmmaker Kevin Smith. And his first financed by a studio. The film tells the story of T.S. (Jeremy London) who spends a day in a mall trying to win back his girlfriend. Of course that's just a basic skeleton of the movie. There is so much more for your enjoyment. Star Wars and comic book references, an appearance by legendary comic creator Stan Lee, underage sex, elevator sex, Smokey and the bandit having sex, Jay and Silent bob, a topless fortune teller, the assault of the Easter bunny and even a mechanical shark. And while the film is far from perfect really folks what more could you possibly ask for than topless fortune telling and a fun yarn?

Well, even though it would seem impossible to cram more goodies in there are a few more treats in store for you viewers. The first is that right before our eyes n the first 3 minutes a star is born. Mallrats marks the big screen debut of the one and only Jason Lee. He stars (and yes I do mean that he is actually the real star not Mr. London) as Broodie Bruce, comic book connoisseur and best friend to T.S. It is also one of the earliest films on Ban Affleck’s resume as he makes a turn as Shannon Hamiltion. A man who makes sport of convincing women to let him have sex with them “in a very uncomfortable place”. There are other notables in the cast as well Shannon Dourghtey, Michael Rooker, and Joey Lauren Adams to name a few.

As per usual with a View Askew disc the presentation is wonderful. The film is shown in 1.85:1 anamorphic wide screen. The transfer is crystal clear and nearly flawless. As far as sound goes you are given the choice of both standard (at the time the disc was released) Dolby surround as well as Dolby 5.1.

The DVD has features features and more features!

Feature commentary
This is one of the classic commentaries in the View Askew library. We have Kevin smith, Jason Mewes, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck and of course what commentary would be complete without uber producer Scoot Moiser. Hands down this is one of the funniest and most entertaining commentaries out there. Not only is the audio excellent, but the DVD’s producers did something I love they turned the cameras on the guys doing commentary. This is just a great-added bonus.

Deleted scenes
Want to see what this film was supposed to be as it was originally scripted. Check out this section. The first scene is the twenty-minute original opening. Plus 40 more minutes of hilarious outtakes and deleted scenes Click and enjoy!

Featurette, Trailers, and Productions stills
Standard fare here. A run of the mill featurette. (Though still very entertaining). A whole section that contains all the trailers that were release to prime the public for the film. And also a section devoted to a whole series of production tills taken during the shoot. Fun to look at once or twice but nothing that doesn't come pretty much standard these days.

Though it bombed at the box office Mallrats made a huge comeback once it hit video and DVD. As evidenced by the fact that it was at one point the number one video stolen from blockbusters in the US. At least according to Scott Moiser on the commentary.

This is a fun movie that you should just lay back and enjoy. It isn't Citizen Kane but its a lot better and more fun than say Howard the Duck and a lot of other crap you have to choose from. If you’re looking for a fun movie, go rent it today. If you’re looking for an excellent DVD to add to your collection, run out and buy it now!