Earlier this year, in what can hardly be understated, the comics world changed forever when Stan Lee died. Love him or hate him, Lee was able to change comics forever a few times over, and made himself something akin to the mascot of comics for the outside world. He was the only comics creator most non-monthly readers could name, and he worked very hard to maintain that kind of name recognition.
But today, we are not looking back on Lee’s classic Marvel co-creations, his amazingly ahead of their time scripts for “Amazing Spider-Man” or “Fantastic Four,” or even his victory lap cameos in all the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. No, we are going to celebrate his truly finest work: his scene stealing role as “Stan Lee” in Mallrats.
Stan Lee’s presence at the Eden Prairie Mall sets a series of events into play for Brodie Bruce, second banana turned breakout star of Mallrats, played by first-time actor Jason Lee. Until he shows up near the end of the film, Lee’s presence is felt, but never seen. But, after agreeing to help T.S., the film’s lamentably lame star, Lee pops up to give Bruce a pep-talk on the importance of love, even at the expense of comic books.
Lee’s look in this film is slightly different than how modern comic fans probably know him. This is halfway between ‘Stan with the cigar and wild facial hair’ of the early 70s and the ‘slicked back hair and neatly trimmed mustache’ of the 21st century. The signature amber shades are there, but Lee’s got a slightly unkempt beard, and looks less like the kindly grandpa of the MCU than he does your dad’s slightly older friend who knows good jokes and likes to booze it up. He looks most like a party boat captain, and with his navy sports-coat and sunglasses, all he’s missing is a novelty beer mug with a clever tequila pun printed on the side.
Lee, delivering lines written by comic megafan Kevin Smith, is natural onscreen, and manages to do really well with the material given him. Lee had already done some in-front of the camera work by this point, introducing various Marvel cartoons and appearing in documentaries and news pieces, but it still doesn’t account for just how smooth Lee comes across here. Aside from an over-the-top spin around at the sound of his name, he is at ease on screen, mild on the cheese, and seems to be having a good time at a mall in suburban Minneapolis.
It doesn’t hurt that the actors he has to work with, the aforementioned Jason Lee and ‘not the London brother from Dazed and Confused‘ Jeremy London, were not exactly Meryl Streep, either. In his first on-screen performance, Jason Lee exudes a fun attitude and can clearly deliver a joke, but isn’t going to wow anyone with his dramatic line readings. Calling London wooden is an insult to hard working ventriloquist’s dummies everywhere, and his brief scene with Lee manages to seem both awkwardly rushed and about twice as long as it should be.
Lee also manages to have fun with the subject material, delivering a classic line reading of the phrase ‘superhero sex organs.’ It’s actually the perfect Lee role: it’s funny, short, and doesn’t require such extreme suspension of disbelief. (Come on, Hulk, even in 2003 no one would hire Stan as a security guard!)
1995 was the end of comics’ popularity surge in the early 90s, and the industry, especially Marvel, was about to hit the skids pretty hard. Lee was no longer an active part of Marvel, but simply a figurehead that got trotted out for media appearances and when the ‘good old days’ wanted to be referenced. Mallrats was both of those things. It allowed Lee to firm up his reputation as “the” comics creator of the 20th century in the eyes of the public, and also remind folks that Marvel was still a going concern.
On the DC3cast, I’ve joked about this being my favorite Stan Lee memory and, while I’m clearly joking when I say that, re-watching this scene a few times in order to write this article has reminded me just how good Lee was at this sort of stuff. I wish I could say I’d remember him for how well he treated his artists, but I can’t. Or, for how even as an old man he kept his hands to himself around younger woman but, again I can’t do that.
Continued belowBut I can say, without a hint or irony or suppression of the facts, that Stan Lee was excellent in Mallrats, a claim I can’t really make about anyone else in the film. His delivery of the line “Of course, the Green Goblin showed up and he pumpkin bombed the hell out of the place. But aside from that, it’s pretty much the same thing” may be the best single line reading in the film. And while Mallrats isn’t Citizen Kane, that’s still something.
Watch the scene below.
