After they agreed to the dividing up of their belongings, Deborah confesses having an affair, too. SCENES FROM A MALL teams up comedy's ultimate mix of combustible fun -- Bette Midler and Woody Allen! U.S. entertainer Eddie Sparks wants to bring some fun to the soldiers during World War II and contacts singer/dancer Dixie Leonard for help. [2] At the time of its release, film critics almost unanimously commented that the characters' emotional responses were contrived and false, and that the gaudy set design and production seemed an obvious effort to hide the film's lack of both comedic value and dramatic substance. View production, box office, & company info. Scenes from a Mall Paul Mazursky's 14th film as director is a cozy, insular middle-aged marital comedy that's about as deep and rewarding as a day of mall-cruising. Scenes From a Mall By Karen Olsson. All of the fights, all of the reconciliations. "[5] However, most commented that Allen and Midler's performances were not to blame, as there was simply no way to play the characters that would have made them likable or believable. Today's show, Scenes From a Mall, we've been bringing you stories recorded this month at a shopping mall, Cool Springs Galleria in Nashville. The problem I had with the movie is that it is more like an absurdist play than a real movie. She's a good actress, and she should be doing better comedy's not this terrible lowbrow material, (hello Drowning Mona was beyond embarrasing, its already the worst film of the year). She goes wild and insists on a divorce. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. But why anyone would think that we would enjoy seeing Woody Allen in a ponytail is beyond me. Police calls to the mall have more than doubled since 1999, the year the theater opened. "[1], Many critics found the film's awfulness to be especially startling in light of its esteemed director and lead actors. "[4] Variety similarly said that the characters' "emotional storms never achieve any veracity. Facing dismissal from the top perch of Hollywood and finacial ruin from back taxes, he ... See full summary », On their 16. anniversary, during a shopping stroll, the lawyer Nick Fifer confesses his wife Deborah some affairs. Was this review helpful to you? Best Horror Movies. SCENES FROM A MALL teams up comedy's ultimate mix of combustible fun -- Bette Midler and Woody Allen! Written by 03 / 29 / 2021 Use the HTML below. They become the perfect team and tour from North... See full summary ». Because of the Cold War they are stuck in the U.S. Embassy surrounding by the Soviet forces. Scenes From a Mall: The Beverly Center Then and Now. Bette Midler and Nathan Lane star in this comedy about Jacqueline Susann, the ambitious woman of dubious talent who wrote Valley of the Dolls, a best-selling novel that became a sensation. Thomas Manhardt . 1652 Woods Dr, Los Angeles, California, USA. Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 Brian J. Arthurs Beach Reporter (Southern California) Now I remember when Scenes From A Mall first came out, it got absolutely atrocious reviews. March 2009 0. Now he gets very upset and wants the divorce for his part, but the last word is not spoken yet. It was a gorgeous day at the outlet mall. Lina Lecaro November 15, 2018. [3][5] Vincent Canby of The New York Times, one of the few to give the film a positive recommendation, instead argued that Allen and Midler saved the thin and unstructured script: "Little by little, though, the stars take over their characters. With Bette Midler, Woody Allen, Bill Irwin, Daren Firestone. For the wealthy power couples of Scenes From a Mall, drinking in the misery of street urchins from Bombay is just another consumer choice in a pop world teeming with them. Scenes From the First American Shopping Mall (1956) Southdale 1956 Richfield Edina Shopping Mall History Video In 1956, the Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota, opened its doors and became America’s first climate-controlled indoor shopping mall. Scenes from a Mall is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Roger L. Simon, and starring Bette Midler and Woody Allen. This FAQ is empty. Waldo constantly worries that other boys have their eyes on Maxine, causing him to go into a jealous fit. Wanting to renew their marriage, Nick decides to reveal that he's just ended a 7-month affair. In addition to whatever happens at the North Pole, there is a Santa industry that springs up at malls all over the country every Christmas with photographers and helpers. Search for "Scenes from a Mall" on Amazon.com, Title: Scenes from a Mall Quotes. [1][3][4][5] Roger Ebert summarized the story as "a fog of arbitrary storytelling and desperate gimmicks, sudden revelations and unmotivated mood swings, in a movie that seems to have been written without having been thought about very much. She's a best-selling pop psychologist and he's a high-powered sports lawyer. Movie & TV guides. With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer. Add the first question. Scenes From a Mall is set entirely on Nick and Deborah’s wedding anniversary. I wasn't old enough to see it then, but I loved the idea of a movie with two of my comedy heroes, Woody Allen and Bette Midler. The 1991 film, Scenes from a Mall, was partially filmed at this center. Overall, cinema-goers marginally prefer the movie, giving it an average score of 57%, compared to film critics, who gave it a slightly lower average score of 51%. In the zany, outrageous tradition of DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS and RUTHLESS PEOPLE, SCENES FROM A MALL teams up comedy's ultimate mix of combustible fun -- Bette Midler and Woody Allen! Gee I wonder what happens at the end? they stole it from tootsie) and lots of garish on again off again reactions. There are no approved quotes yet for this movie. Scenes from a Mall is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Roger L. Simon, and starring Bette Midler and Woody Allen. The movie reminded me of Midler's more recent film "That Old Feeling" where she again overreacts with big screaming fights that are supposed to be hysterical. Scenes from a Mall (1991) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Now nobody enjoys Bette Midler's antics more than I do (think the phone call scene in Ruthless People) but I just didn't buy it. Two aging comedians who acrimoniously dissolved their act eight years earlier must overcome their differences when they have the chance for a lucrative movie comeback. Scenes from a Mall is a 1991 satirical film directed by Paul Mazursky with a screenplay by Roger L. Simon and Mazursky, starring Bette Midler and Woody Allen.Woody Allen's character, Nick, is married to author Deborah, played by Midler. In the zany, outrageous tradition of Down And Out in Beverly Hills and Ruthless People, SCENES FROM A MALL teams up Bette Midler and Woody Allen - comedy's ultimate mix of combustible fun! The Beverly Center has been “reimagined.” That's how Taubman Centers Inc., the … At this point I was like in disbelief that anyone would expect us to swallow such a hackneyed and predictable reaction and story set up. (1991). See, Dolby Digital 2.0 would have been pretty damn lame, even for a four, five dollar stinker of a title. Watching SCENES FROM A MALL is a dreary experience. [1] Mall scenes with elevators and escalators were filmed at the Stamford Town Center in Stamford, Connecticut. Gene Siskel, who chose the film for the list with Ebert approving the choice, remarked, "Bette Midler and Woody Allen in the same film as a married couple? On their 16. anniversary, during a shopping stroll, the lawyer Nick Fifer confesses his wife Deborah some affairs. Now he gets very upset and wants the divorce for his part, but the last word is not spoken yet. It was perfectly enjoyable though, but when you think about it in your head you realize it's really not such a with it piece of work. In the opening scene, Woody Allen is rocking a ponytail and windbreaker while awkwardly trying to fuck Bette Midler - so if you have a sensitive gag reflex, you might want to stick with something a little less upsetting like, say, A Serbian Film. Scenes from a Mall was released in 1991 and has generally received mixed reviews. After years of a happy marriage, Nick reveals to her he's had an affair. The audio for 'Scenes from a Mall' is another area where a typo is in play on the packaging. 8 of 15 people found this review helpful. So I went out and found the movie, and the reviewer was definitely correct. Scenes From a Mall is a peculiar but, finally, very engaging comedy. Then she reveals her affair and Allen overreacts. This married couple go to the mall on their anniversary and both reveal they have had affairs. A bride's divorced parents find their old feelings for each other during the wedding reception and over the course of the next few days upsetting the newlywed's honeymoon. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. While attending a retrospective of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films. The two stars have masterful chemistry, although it's almost ridiculous to believe Woody Allen and Bette Midler would be together, but then again isn't that it in most of his movies. Stamford Town Center - Wikipedia In December 2017, Big Business and Scenes from a Mall were re-released on DVD and Blu-ray by Kino Lorber under license from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Two police officers are assigned full time to the mall, one paid for by the mall and one by the city. Directed by Paul Mazursky. All in all, scenes from a mall is worth it for the great chemistry between the two stars and its pretty cute. "[3] The Los Angeles Times' Peter Rainder opined that "the pairing of Allen and Midler, which might seem like the kind of weirdo match-up that could produce a comedy classic, never takes flight. Nick, a sports attorney, and Deborah, a psychotherapist, are a happily married couple who on the eve of their 16th wedding anniversary run to the local mall to pick up supplies for the celebration. She knees him in the groin and screams at him. "[6], The film was not a box office success but did manage to bring back its budget. Well whatever. Photograph of Hugo Boss by Karen Olsson. Harry Stone (Danny Aiello), a formerly top notch director, has had three disastrous movies in a row. She is soon shocked and requests a divorce, but later admits that she herself has been unfaithful. Top 200 of all time 150 Essential Comedies. She's a best-selling pop psychologist; he's a high-powered sports lawyer. They seem like just another indulgence on the part of the pampered, secure spouses. The film received mostly negative reviews, with critics focusing on the characters' arbitrary and unrealistic emotional reactions, the lack of successful humor, and the overdone production. "[7], Scenes from a Mall was amongst Siskel & Ebert's worst movies of 1991. [8], "MOVIE REVIEW : Down and Out in Beverly Center : A Slice of L.A.--Without the Bite", "Review/Film; A Marriage On and Off The Rocks", "THREE-DAY WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : A Replay of the Top Fhree", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scenes_from_a_Mall&oldid=992476013, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 December 2020, at 13:29. She goes wild and insists on a divorce. It was like Bette Midler was dying to have moments of big ballsy comedy inserted into a more serious film. A middle-aged artist obsessed with his pretty young assistant, a precocious 12 year old living in a hotel, and a neurotic lawyer with a possessive mother make up three Gotham tales. An ordinary American family goes on vacation to Europe. In fact, I had almost forgotten about this movie until I read a review of the newest Woody Allen movie, "Small Time Crooks" in which the reviewer said that Allen hadn't had as good chemistry as he had with Tracey Ullman with another actress since Scenes From A Mall. Online reviewers have written 48 reviews, giving Scenes from a Mall (1991) an average rating of 43%. Police attribute some of the increase from 1999 to 2000 to a new computer system. [1][3][4][5][6] Time Out, for example, said it "comes over as a piss-take of Mazursky by Mazursky. From Wings to Parasite, here's a look back at all of the Best Picture Oscar winners in the history of the ceremony. Chronicling a strong, but eccentric woman's devoted relationship to her daughter through the years. The couple in that movie also go do an on again off again thing with lots of screaming in between. Nick (Woody Allen), a sports lawyer, is married to psychotherapist and author Deborah (Bette Midler). They play together with a straight-on honesty that is funny because of the oddball situations, and moving for the unexpected, easy legitimacy of the performances. [1], The film received mostly negative reviews, and rated at 32% on Rotten Tomatoes from an aggregate of 25 reviews. In the zany, outrageous tradition of Down And Out In Beverly Hills and Ruthless People, SCENES FROM A MALL teams up Bette Midler and Woody Allen-- comedy's ultimate mix of combustible fun! Meanwhile, Eddie learns that the store model he has a crush on is married. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. The title is a play on Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage, and the film itself features similar themes of marital disintegration. ... Allen and Midler are such highly individual actors that they never quite seem to be in the same orbit; the series of juicy marital revelations that keep perking the movie come across as forced and schematic because we never really believe in the relationship. The film is believable except for the wild and sudden reactions that Bette Midler's character has to Allen's revelations. Most of the mall scenes were filmed at the Kaufman Astoria Studios sound stages in Queens, New York. On their 16th anniversary, a married couple's trip to a Beverly Hills mall becomes the stage for personal revelations and deceptions. Thankfully, the only audio option is instead a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 … Scenes from a Mall After they agreed to the dividing up of their belongings, Deborah confesses having an affair, too. This leads to a mechanical and increasingly desperate search for new locations, such as a sushi bar, a champagne-and-caviar lounge, many shops, and escalators, lots of escalators. Two women unknowingly share the same man, but when he disappears, both go out looking for him and enter his surprisingly dangerous life. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. It's not a hard one to predict folks. After years of being happily married, Nick reveals to Deborah that he has had an affair. The death of retail. December 26, 2008 Scenes From a Mall This American Life spends several days in a mall in suburban Tennessee, to document life in the mall during the run-up to Christmas. Also, while Harriette is at a job interview, Carl gets burdened with having to wat… A rich but troubled family find their lives altered by the arrival of a vagrant who tries to drown himself in their swimming pool. When he refuses and asks her to give him his space, she ends up leaving in a crying fit. She's a best-selling pop psychologist; he's a high-powered sports lawyer. The title is a play on Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage, and the film itself features similar themes of marital disintegration.[1]. Also, a rift in a national association of professional Santas—the Amalgamated Order of … Of course they're more fighting, and an annoying mime (hello? During a spending spree in an upscale shopping center, this Beverly Hills couple s seemingly happy marriage takes an outlandish turn for the worse when they try to work out their marital differences...in public! Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Myra demands commitment from Urkel or else. Mall exteriors were filmed at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, California, the mall where most of the picture is set. I mean does anyone believe he could have gone to bed with Mira Sorvino, Julia Roberts, Juliette Lewis, Elisabeth Shue, I mean even Judy Davis is a big stretch. On their 16th anniversary, a married couple's trip to a Beverly Hills mall becomes the stage for personal revelations and deceptions. The entire drama, lock, stock and barrel, takes place inside the mall. Then of course they make up, which isn't very believable either, nor is it funny. Like I said, they're both enjoyable and Midler radiates charm but why does she keep saying yes to this terrible s**t? 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