Scenes from a Mall

Last updated
Scenes from a Mall
Scenes from a mall poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul Mazursky
Written by Roger L. Simon
Paul Mazursky
Produced byPaul Mazursky
Starring
Cinematography Fred Murphy
Edited byStuart H. Pappé
Music by Marc Shaiman
Production
companies
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • February 22, 1991 (1991-02-22)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million
Box office$19 million [1]

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 title is a play on Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage , and the film itself features similar themes of marital disintegration. [2]

Contents

The film received mostly negative reviews, with critics focusing on the characters' arbitrary and unrealistic emotional reactions, lack of successful humor and overdone production. Despite this, it was a moderate box office success, earning six times its $3 million budget.

Plot

Nick (Woody Allen), a sports lawyer, is married to psychotherapist and author Deborah (Bette Midler). After years of being happily married, Nick reveals to Deborah that he has had an affair. She is soon shocked and requests a divorce, but later admits that she herself has been unfaithful.

Cast

Production

Most of the mall scenes were filmed at the Kaufman Astoria Studios sound stages in Queens, New York. [2] Mall scenes with elevators and escalators were filmed at the Stamford Town Center in Stamford, Connecticut. Mall exteriors were filmed at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, California, the mall where most of the picture is set. [2]

Reception

The film received mostly negative reviews, and rated at 32% on Rotten Tomatoes from an aggregate of 25 reviews. [3] 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. [2] [4] [5] [6] 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." [4] 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. ... 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." [5] Variety similarly said that the characters' "emotional storms never achieve any veracity. They seem like just another indulgence on the part of the pampered, secure spouses." [2]

Many critics found the film's awfulness to be especially startling in light of its esteemed director and lead actors. [2] [4] [5] [6] [7] Time Out , for example, said it "comes over as a piss-take of Mazursky by Mazursky." [6] 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. [4] [6] 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. 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." [8]

Scenes from a Mall was amongst Siskel & Ebert's worst movies of 1991. 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? Well, the very idea of that is funnier than anything in the movie!" [7]

Box office

The film was not a box office success but did manage to bring back its budget. [9] It grossed $9.6 million and $19 million worldwide. [10] [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Manhattan</i> (1979 film) 1979 film by Woody Allen

Manhattan is a 1979 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen and produced by Charles H. Joffe from a screenplay written by Allen and Marshall Brickman. Allen co-stars as a twice-divorced 42-year-old comedy writer who dates a 17-year-old girl but falls in love with his best friend's mistress. Meryl Streep and Anne Byrne also star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bette Midler</span> American actress and singer (born 1945)

Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards and a Kennedy Center Honor, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.

<i>Interiors</i> 1978 film by Woody Allen

Interiors is a 1978 American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, Richard Jordan, Diane Keaton, E. G. Marshall, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton, and Sam Waterston.

<i>The Rose</i> (film) 1979 film by Mark Rydell

The Rose is a 1979 American musical drama film directed by Mark Rydell, and starring Bette Midler, Alan Bates, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton, Barry Primus, and David Keith. Loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin, the film follows a self-destructive rock star in the late 1960s, who struggles to cope with the pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Mazursky</span> American director, screenwriter, and actor (1930-2014)

Irwin Lawrence "Paul" Mazursky was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Known for his dramatic comedies that often dealt with modern social issues, he was nominated for five Academy Awards for Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), An Unmarried Woman (1978), Harry and Tonto (1974), and Enemies, A Love Story (1989). He is also known for directing such films as Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Moon over Parador (1988), and Scenes from a Mall (1991).

<i>Beaches</i> (1988 film) 1988 American comedy-drama film

Beaches is a 1988 American comedy-drama film adapted by Mary Agnes Donoghue and based on Iris Rainer Dart's 1985 novel of the same name. It was directed by Garry Marshall, and stars Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey, Mayim Bialik, John Heard, James Read, Spalding Gray, and Lainie Kazan.

<i>Husbands and Wives</i> 1992 comedy-drama film by Woody Allen

Husbands and Wives is a 1992 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. The film stars Allen, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack, Judy Davis, Lysette Anthony, Juliette Lewis, Liam Neeson and Blythe Danner. The film debuted shortly after the end of Allen and Farrow's romantic and professional partnership, and was the last of their 13 films together. The movie is filmed by Carlo Di Palma with a handheld camera style and features documentary-like interviews with the characters interspersed with the story.

<i>Love and Death</i> 1975 comedy film directed by Woody Allen

Love and Death is a 1975 American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It is a satire on Russian literature starring Allen and Diane Keaton as Boris and Sonja, Russians living during the Napoleonic Era who engage in mock-serious philosophical debates. Allen considered it the funniest film he had made up until that point.

<i>Bananas</i> (film) 1971 comedy film by Woody Allen

Bananas is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Woody Allen and starring Allen, Louise Lasser, and Carlos Montalban. Written by Allen and Mickey Rose, the film is about a bumbling New Yorker who, after being dumped by his activist girlfriend, travels to a tiny Latin American nation and becomes involved in its latest rebellion. Parts of the plot are based on the book Don Quixote, U.S.A. by Richard P. Powell.

<i>Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice</i> 1969 film by Paul Mazursky

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Larry Tucker, who also produced the film, and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, and Dyan Cannon. The original music score was composed by Quincy Jones. The cinematography for the film was by Charles Lang. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including ones for Gould and Cannon. Patricia Welles wrote the paperback novel from Mazursky and Tucker's screenplay.

<i>Down and Out in Beverly Hills</i> 1986 film by Paul Mazursky

Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a 1986 American comedy film based on the 1919 French play Boudu sauvé des eaux, which was later adapted as Boudu sauvé des eaux, a 1932 film by Jean Renoir. Down and Out in Beverly Hills was directed by Paul Mazursky, and starred Nick Nolte, Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfuss. The plot follows a rich but dysfunctional family who save the life of a suicidal homeless man. Musician Little Richard appears as a neighbor, and performs "Great Gosh A'Mighty" during a party scene.

<i>Outrageous Fortune</i> (film) 1987 film by Arthur Hiller

Outrageous Fortune is a 1987 American comedy film written by Leslie Dixon, directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Shelley Long and Bette Midler. The title is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet. It is the tenth film of Touchstone Pictures.

<i>A Midsummer Nights Sex Comedy</i> 1982 film by Woody Allen

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is a 1982 American sex comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, starring Allen and Mia Farrow.

<i>Play It Again, Sam</i> (film) 1972 film by Herbert Ross

Play It Again, Sam is a 1972 American comedy film written by and starring Woody Allen, based on his 1969 Broadway play of the same name. The film was directed by Herbert Ross, instead of Allen, who usually directs his own written work.

<i>Big Business</i> (1988 film) 1988 film directed by Jim Abrahams

Big Business is a 1988 American comedy film starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, each playing two roles, as sets of identical twins mismatched at birth. The nature versus nurture farce adapts The Comedy of Errors, but with female siblings in contemporary society: one of each twin being reared in a wealthy urban setting, while the others grew up in a poor rural environment.

<i>Partners</i> (1982 film) 1982 gay-themed buddy comedy directed by James Burrows

Partners is a 1982 American gay-themed buddy comedy film directed by James Burrows and starring Ryan O'Neal and John Hurt as a mismatched pair of cops.

<i>That Old Feeling</i> (film) 1997 American film

That Old Feeling is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Carl Reiner, his final film as director before his death in 2020. It stars Bette Midler and Dennis Farina.

<i>Tempest</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by Paul Mazursky

Tempest is a 1982 American adventure comedy-drama romance film directed by Paul Mazursky. It is a loosely based, modern-day adaptation of the William Shakespeare play The Tempest. The picture features John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Raúl Juliá and Molly Ringwald in her feature film debut.

<i>Beyond Therapy</i> (film) 1987 film by Robert Altman

Beyond Therapy is a 1987 American comedy film written and directed by Robert Altman, based on the 1981 play of the same name by Christopher Durang. It stars Julie Hagerty, Jeff Goldblum, Glenda Jackson, Tom Conti, and Christopher Guest.

<i>Stella</i> (1990 film) 1990 American drama film directed by John Erman

Stella is a 1990 American drama film produced by The Samuel Goldwyn Company and released by Touchstone Pictures. The screenplay by Robert Getchell is the third feature film adaptation of the 1923 novel Stella Dallas by Olive Higgins Prouty. Previous film versions were Stella Dallas (1937) and the silent film Stella Dallas (1925).

References

  1. 1 2 "International Star Chart". Screen International . 5 September 1997. p. 16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Scenes from a Mall". Variety . December 31, 1990. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  3. ↑ "Scenes from a Mall (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ebert, Roger (February 22, 1991). "Scenes from a Mall". Chicago Sun Times . Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  5. 1 2 3 Rainer, Peter (February 22, 1991). "MOVIE REVIEW : Down and Out in Beverly Center : A Slice of L.A.--Without the Bite". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Scenes from a Mall". Time Out . Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  7. 1 2 "The Worst Movies of 1991". At the Movies . Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Canby, Vincent (February 22, 1991). "Review/Film; A Marriage On and Off The Rocks". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  9. ↑ "THREE-DAY WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : A Replay of the Top Fhree". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  10. ↑ Scenes from a Mall at Box Office Mojo
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.