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 (1991)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:6
Rotten:16
Average Rating:4.2/10
Synopsis: Bette Midler and Woody Allen star in director Paul Mazursky's comedy as a professional Los Angeles couple--Deborah (Midler) is the author of a best-selling self-help book about marriage and has... Bette Midler and Woody Allen star in director Paul Mazursky's comedy as a professional Los Angeles couple--Deborah (Midler) is the author of a best-selling self-help book about marriage and has been wed to successful lawyer Nick (Allen) for 16 years. They live a high-pressure professional life, complete with matching Saabs, two kids, a house in the hills, beepers, cell phones, and a constant barrage of client phone calls. To celebrate their anniversary, they decide to embark on a spending spree at the Beverly Center mall. But while there, each makes a startling revelation that rocks their marriage. Nick, following advice from his wife's book, kicks things off by announcing he's been having an affair. Deborah, staggered by the news, rebounds by requesting a divorce. The spoiled couple reconciles--until the author admits that she's been unfaithful herself. As Nick and Deborah wade their way through the mall, dodging a particularly annoying mime (clown Bill Irwin in a hilarious role), mariachi bands, and Christmas-carolling rappers, they are forced to realize the mistakes they've made along the way--all the while juggling the pros and cons of their marriage, dividing assets, and shooting off rapid rounds of compliments and insults. Midler and Allen make a terrific and suitably neurotic pair in Mazursky's hilarious satire of an outlandish Los Angles marriage. [More]
Starring: Bette Midler, Woody Allen, Bill Irwin, Paul Mazursky
Starring: Bette Midler, Woody Allen, Bill Irwin, Paul Mazursky
Director: Paul Mazursky
Director: Paul Mazursky
Reviews for Scenes From a Mall
There are moments here and there, but it's mostly ordinary, unimaginative writing. Midler and Allen deserve better.
Mazursky has returned with a vengeance to his special universe where the upper middle class is the only thing that exists, and this time he has absolutely nothing to say about it.
Allen's admittedly funny lines get lost in the mess, and Midler, in relatively restrained mode, fades away altogether.
There's a horrible fascination here that goes beyond Woody's ponytail.
Sounds like the perfect high-concept project, right? So how could it go wrong? Who knows? But wrong it went.
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