Director Kevin Smith's follow-up to the cult classic, Clerks, is a more mainstream affair, but still contains a good chunk of the cast of Clerks. Even in his latest film, Dogma, Smith has his favourites. And of course, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith himself).

T.S Quint (Jeremy London) is pondering how to make-up to his girlfriend, Brandi (Clair Forlani) and ultimately propose to her, in the face of her annoyance with him and her ogrish father. He enlists the help of best friend, Brodie (Jason Lee), a comic fanatic, who has also been dumped by his girlfriend, Rene (Shannon Doherty). Brodie decides only one thing can help- a day hanging out at the mall, where life itself revolves. We watch the day unfold with anarchy, incident and a good dose of life thrown in.

This is observational life humour, Smith style- you like it, or you don't. It just so happens I love it. Mallrats is my favourite Smith film- funny, anarchic, off-the-wall and above all packed with insight. The cast are superb, simply due to the fact that they are all utterly comfortable in their roles. Lee, in particular, is superb. I suppose some would say that Smith films are the 90s equivalent of the John Houston 80s "high-school" films, but they are a cut above the Rat Pack genre. There is no messing about here- life is told as seen, no punches pulled.

Things have gone slightly more cerebral for Smith since this, with Chasing Amy and Dogma, but this still has the raw comedy of Clerks and is the better for it. DJY