"Mallrats" is more concerned with crude comedy and adolescent antics than pushing any sort of ideological agenda. Characters are cast and written based on quirky personalities and comedic effect, not identity checklists. There’s no evidence of forced representation or unearned invincibility here, just a showcase of 1990s slacker archetypes with plenty of flaws on display.

The film’s irreverence pokes fun at many things, but it’s firmly rooted in the traditional dynamics of friendship, romance, and youthful male camaraderie. Some might argue that adults and authority figures are mocked, but there's no systematic attack on family, religion, or masculinity. Its humor is very much of its time, and nothing here feels like culture war revisionism.

There’s no sense of ideological monoculture, if anything, the movie features aimless debate and banter from multiple perspectives, as only a 1990s Kevin Smith script can. Characters aren’t all lined up along some dogmatic worldview, and there’s plenty of ribbing, disagreement, and varied personality clashes throughout.