Character Analysis: Brodie Bruce

Character Analysis: Brodie Bruce

By: Brian Cotnoir

Hello Friends, Long time no talk.  I have not done a Character Analysis in a very long time, so I figured now was just as good a time as ever to write and post one.  Kevin Smith is one of my Favorite Directors, and the popularity of his View Askew-niverse has brought us many awesome films and memorable (even sometimes likable) characters.  One of those memorable characters has to be Brodie Bruce from Kevin Smith’s 1995 cult favorite “Mallrats”.

CHARACTER: Brodie Bruce from “Mallrats” (1995) & “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001)

Brodie Bruce from "Mallrats"

Brodie Bruce is the best friend of T.S. Quint.  When we first meet Brodie he comes off as a childish, immature slacker who loves collecting comic books and playing Video Games.  Brodie’s girlfriend Rene breaks up with him because he is immature, lazy, lacks motivation, and is afraid to introduce her to his mother. After his break up he meets up with his good friend T.S. Quint down at the local mall where they try to forget about all their relationship problems.  All of Brodie’s dreams come true when he meets his idol, comic book legend Stan Lee, at the Mall one day (Lee was there doing a promotional autograph signing that Brodie was unable to get into).  After a brief discussion of Superhero genitalia, Lee tells Brodie the (fake) story of a love lost once long ago because he was more preoccupied with comic books then her, and how he’d give up all his fame and success just to have one more shot with her.  After hearing this touching speech from his idol, Brodie decides to pursue Rene and win her back from the snobby, a$$ hole men’s clothing store employee Shannon Hamilton (played by Ben Affleck).

Brodie gets advice from his Idol

THE ACTOR:

Brodie is played by Actor Jason Lee...that’s all I really got to say about him for that.  Yes, he’s good in the role, and yes he’s funny, but I honestly don’t have anything else to say about his performance; except for...

Actor Jason Lee plays Brodie Bruce

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TOO OR INSPIRED BY:

Brodie is just like Randal Graves from “Clerks” (another Kevin Smith film).  Yeah, Brodie and Randal are pretty much the exact same characters.  They’re both lazy unmotivated, apathetic nerds, and act like total douchebags to everyone around them. They have a few distinctive differences (Brodie’s nerdy obsession is comic books and Randal’s is Star Wars, and Brodie’s better with the ladies), but honestly you could have replaced Brodie with Randal and the story still would have flowed the same.  I have heard that Brodie and Randal are actually cousins in Kevin Smith View-Askewniverse, however I could not find any quotes from Kevin Smith or Articles that would support that claim.  Smith, has gone on record to say that Brodie was inspired by his good friend Walt Flannagan, and that Brodie is named after Chief Martin Brody (from “Jaws”) and that his surname Bruce comes from the nickname of the mechanical shark from the film.

No, no, I would not, Brodie

Randal Graves from "Clerks II"

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

Good For you, Brodie :)

In the end both Brodie and his friend T.S. win back their girlfriend’s and, with the help of their friends Jay & Silent Bob, help get Shannon arrested for Statutory Rape.  According to the Post-Film credits, in “Mallrats”, Brodie went on to host “The Tonight Show” (with his girlfriend Rene as his bands leader).  However, in the film “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back” we see that Brodie is no longer hosting the tonight show, but instead owns his own comic book shop called “Brodie’s Secret Stash”, and is the one that informs Jay & Silent Bob of the “Bluntman & Chronic” movie (which is a comic book based off of their lives) that is being made, and thus sends the stoner duo on an epic cross-country journey.