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.
– James Berardinelli,
ReelViews,
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:
The fatal flaw in plotting the material is that we don't care.
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
1 Jan 2000
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:
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.