Mallrats
Like "Clerks," the first (and much lower-budget) film by writer-director Kevin Smith, "Mallrats" is a day-in-the-life of '90s slackers. Only this time, they are in the mall instead of an inner-city convenience store.But the result is the same — gross-out gags, stupid jokes, intelligent-speaking college-age teens who talk about nothing but modern culture (as in "entertainment"), a constant stream of profanity and vulgarity and discussions of every bodily function you've ever imagined (and a few you haven't).
The meager plot has T.S. (Jeremy London) and his buddy Brodie (Jason Lee) being dumped by their respective girlfriends, Brandi (Claire Forlani) and Rene (Shannen Doherty). So they go hang out at the mall.
There, they discover that Brandi is appearing on her father's television talk show, an update of "The Dating Game." And Rene has taken up with the slimy, womanizing manager of a men's clothing store.
Naturally, they want to win back the girls, so T.S. and Brodie recruit their friends Silent Bob (filmmaker Smith) and Jay (Jason Mewes), characters who also appeared in "Clerks", to help sabotage both the game show and Rene's new boyfriend.
There are some funny bits of business along the way, but they are invariably undercut by uneven performances, gags that fall flat and a mean-spirited tone. In the end, this one leaves an extremely sour aftertaste.