After the success of "Clerks", Kevin Smith had a real budget at his disposal for the first time with "Mallrats" and it shows. The film is professionally shot and has a much larger (and, from today's perspective, more prominent) cast. Some of the strengths of his debut feature are also still present, namely the sometimes clever dialogue and Smith's juvenile sense of humor. Still, "Mallrats" doesn't quite measure up to "Clerks" for me. Too many jokes don't work this time. Furthermore, the sometimes lousy acting is too distracting this time (especially Michael Rooker is awful). On top of that, the film is sometimes just too silly for me, even if the entertainment factor still prevails in the end. That Smith's second film also has problematic parts, especially in terms of language, is certainly due to the era in which it was made. But I'm willing to overlook that, which is why it's one of the highlights of the director's filmography for me.