Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall. Eventually, they decide to try and win back their significant others and take care of their respective nemeses.
Mallrats mixes clever bits and an appealing quirkiness (which goes a long way) with gross-out practical jokes, needless repetition and obvious padding, since it has no real plot.
– Janet Maslin,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
rotten:
If the Sundance Institute or the AFI ever offers a course advising directors of successful first films what to avoid the second time around, Mallrats could be at the heart of the curriculum.
– Kenneth Turan,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Feb 2001
rotten:
The fatal flaw in plotting the material is that we don't care.
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
Between the routines and retorts, there's a lot of narrative dead air -- and far too many new guests.
– Desson Thomson,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
Despite a broad range of effective comedy and a decent laugh-per-minute ratio, Mallrats is likely to be a moderate disappointment for anyone who guffawed their way through the previous film.