Kevin Smith's second feature is actually very similar to his first. Both are set over one day and feature the exploits of two friends who have little hope for the future. However whilst 'Clerks' was a fairly realistic film, 'Mallrats' has much in common with 1980's teen films and sometimes comes across as a teen romantic/comedy. One scene even contains a bit of gross out humour which called to mind 'American Pie'.<br /><br />Despite this, 'Mallrats' is a great film that is really, really funny. Kevin Smith's flair for dialogue and characters shine here. Brodie has to be one of his greatest creations and keeps the film entertaining throughout. Even the typical cheesy romance parts keep the viewer engaged because of the humour used throughout. Ben Affleck also makes a great villain - partly because I hate his other movies so much. <br /><br />I still think that this is a film for people who know films by Kevin Smith. So 'Clerks' would be a good film to see before 'Mallrats'. But if your a fan there is very little that can go wrong in seeing this film. It always raises a smile whenever I think about it.