So I finished watching jay and silent bob strike back and dogma over the past weekend and as usual I am in tears laughing. Now for the remaining two movies that I know of , as I already have watched the Clerks and Clerks2, does mall rats and chasing amie bring anything to the table, or are these stand alone movies that just happen to be done by KS.
Declan
Both Mallrats and Chasing Amy are pretty consistently referenced in his other movies. And considered a part of the “Askewniverse”. (If I recall, as an example, the girl they discuss who died at the very beginning of Mallrats is the same girl who’s funeral Dante and Randall go to… Julie Dwyer)
Mallrats is pretty funny IF you like his other movies… but is, IMO, the weakest of his efforts. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very worthy for a variety of reasons. (Joey Lauren Adams boobs for example 
)
Chasing Amy is a different kind of movie for him. Funny moments to be sure, but not the comedy that he has come to be known for.
The reply above captured that Mallrats and Chasing Amy do both take place in the same world as Kevin’s other movies; however, I disagree with both of his opinion’s about the movies:
*Mallrats, IMO, was crap. Even if you are a die-hard Kevin Smith fan, I’d have a very hard time recommending this movie to anyone.
*Chasing Amy was terrific. It had a more realistic, more dramatic plot than his others, but it was still very funny. A great, great movie–DEFINITELY a must see for Smith’s fans.
Chasing Amy was probably Smith’s best film overall. Not as funny as Clerks or Jay and Silent Bob, but a better story and better characterizations.
Also, his Jersey Girl is badly underrated, though it’s more a straight romantic comedy that his usual fare.
I’ll add to the pile-on here and say that Chasing Amy is Smith’s best film so far. Excellent acting - even by Ben Affleck - and a genuinely touching, if a bit farfetched, story.
Mallsrats in my opinion, is highly underrated. It looks different from his other movies because he was given a (comparatively) huge budget, and Smith was determined to spend every penny.
It also marks the debut (in the Askewniverse) of Jason Lee and Ben Afleck - two actors who run rampant in his later films. And the joke with Shannon Doherty in the Scream knock-off in JASBSB is a lot funnier if you remember her scene with Ethan Suplee in Mallrats.
In fact, that whole scene at the end of JASBSB, when apparently random people are coming out of the theater after the Bluntman & Chronic movie all comes together if you’ve seen (and can keep the various characters straight) in all of his previous movies.
If you get the chance, check out the commentary in the movie. It really adds to the movie, IMHO.
If you liked J&SBSB, you should enjoy Mallrats well enough. It’s stupid as hell, but there are some funny lines in there. Plus you can check out Jason Lee’s first acting gig (he was great).
Chasing Amy is Smith’s best movie by far, and one of my favorite movies in general.
And I have to disagree about Jersey Girl, which I thought was utter garbage. I’ve never walked out of a movie before, but I came damn close with this one. I only managed to hang on until the end to be able to bash it effectively on the internet later. 
Kevin talks about how it was an emotional movie for him, and how much he likes it, yadda yadda yadda. I’ll still believe that Jersey Girl was a cynical joke on the movie industry, where Smith decided to prove a point by making an intentionally shitty movie and watch as it made more money than everything else he’s done.
I just have to chip in that I thought Chasing Amy was an unadulterated waste of time that I wish I could get back somehow. Clerks was great and Mallrats was funny. I’m a little scared of Clerks 2 (in color!) so I have not seen it yet. Dogma is my favorite.
He also did a fair job writing for the Green Arrow.
MALLRATS is genius.
Haven’t seen CHASING AMY.
JERSEY GIRL is a stand-alone, BUT I do recommend it.
Huh. Jersey Girl is a fine movie, truly heart-touching where other films of this ilk are merely manipulative or paint-by-numbers. As a father I really liked the final shot where Affleck and his daughter (Gertie?) were dancing, the spotlight on them and them alone. I’ve had moments like that with my little girl and the movie captured them wonderfully.
I loved Chasing Amy when it came out. But I rented in last week to see with a friend of mine, and we could barly get through it. It hasn’t aged well, or I’ve changed. Not sure which.
Jersey Girl is his sell out attempt to get a hit movie, and luckily it bombed.
I think Dogma was the best movie he made, but I really like Mallrats. It is more a silly comedy like “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”.
Jason Lee was incredible in this movie, he was only annoying in Chasing Amy.
Look for the Ethan Suplee running joke about the sailboat in particular.
It is never a bad things to see Joey Lauren Adams’ boobies or Priscilla Barnes’ for that matter. 
Stan Lee had a nice cameo and Silent Bob’s use of the force always breaks me up.
Chasing Amy was a good film, but not comedy gold. It was much more of a good serious film with humor mixed in. They are very different films. Both films will help explain some of the confusing parts of “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”. I would strongly recommend watching both.
I also strongly recommend renting An Evening with Kevin Smith (2002) & An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder (2006). These are two long comedic sessions filmed as Kevin Smith interacts in Q&A sessions throughout various college stops in the USA. I have seen Kevin live in Red Bank a few time, he is an incredibly funny (& filthy) raconteur.
Jim (An unrepentant Kevin Smith ‘Diehard’ fanboy)
Actually, it’s his “chick flick,” and works nicely as such*.
It was funny. Mrs. Chuck HATES Kevin Smith, so I was astounded when she suggested we rent Jersey Girl. It wasn’t until after we saw it (and she liked it) that she realized who directed it.
*I have nothing against chick flicks – they can be very well done.
To each his own, of course. I found it insufferable. Any serious movie that features the slow clap gets an automatic D- from me and has to dig its way out from there.
Edit: Of course, as bad as it was, Jersey Girl is nowhere near the worst “chick flick” I’ve ever seen. That distinction goes to Elizabethtown. A few 45 second scenes tied together with fifteen of Cameron Crowes favorite songs for an hour. Presumedly the second hour was more of the same, but I’ll never know. I turned it off and destroyed the DVD to protect other movie fans.
Chasing Amy is by far Smith’s best work. Following that comes Dogma. The rest are all the same movie.
*Chasing Amy * is a great film and was on Roger Ebert’s Top 10 list for 1997.
*Mallrats * is worth a look if you’re a Kevin Smith fan, but I seem to remember he actually apologized to the public for it.
Chasing Amy was terrible. Take the part of Clerks where the guy got all jealous and insecure over his girlfriend and stretch that out to a whole movie.
Mallrats was more like Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, but not as ambitious. Plenty of laughs too.
I liked them all, and would agree with the sentiment that *Chasing Amy * and Dogma are the two better films overall, but Mallrats certainly has it’s lowbrow moments.
Can’t speak for Jersey Girl, haven’t seen it.
That reminded me , did KS have to get permission to do that star wars stuff , especially with Mark Hamel (not again) lol , or does George Lucas have no special qualms about people lifting material.
Declan