SLAW
06-23-2003, 07:28 PM
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A lot can happen in one day, leaving you at the very place you were at the beginning. "Scenes From A Mall" is a sweet little comedy about married life. Directed by Paul Mazursky, starring Woody Allen and Bette Midler as a married couple who are celebrating their 16th (or 17th) wedding anniversary. They take their traditional trip to the mall together where they begin to learn much about eachother and their relationship.
Deborah (Midler) is a relationships counselor and Nick (Allen) is a sports attorney. Nick reveals he has had an affair to Deborah. Deborah is furious and responds in a way that she would probably discourage to her patients. The irony ensues when Deborah later admits she is having an affair. I found this to be the core humor of the movie. Both these people act as if they're supposed to be somehow "evolved" past the natural reactions people make when finding out their spouse is having/had an affair. Yet here they are making scenes in a crowded mall for strangers.
Deborah and Nick plan their future together, their divorce, and their reconciliations all in a span of a just a few hours. I find that aspect of the film very humorous and delightful. Midler and Allen (though would seem like a complete physical mis-match) are very funny and quite charming together. They express such a manic day together in perfect sync. I would say this is a satirical look at marriage, so not all elements seem realistic and perhaps over the top (Allen hyproventalating and Midler's collapse in a drug store), but a satire it is definetely. There is also this mime seemingly following the couple around the mall that is really just damm annoying and I could have done without him.
The heart of this story being that ultimately, Nick and Deborah love eachother just because they love eachother. Their marriage isn't logical or rational, it's a marriage. They couldn't imagine being with anyone else or without eachother in their lives (must be a special feeling). 8/10
A lot can happen in one day, leaving you at the very place you were at the beginning. "Scenes From A Mall" is a sweet little comedy about married life. Directed by Paul Mazursky, starring Woody Allen and Bette Midler as a married couple who are celebrating their 16th (or 17th) wedding anniversary. They take their traditional trip to the mall together where they begin to learn much about eachother and their relationship.
Deborah (Midler) is a relationships counselor and Nick (Allen) is a sports attorney. Nick reveals he has had an affair to Deborah. Deborah is furious and responds in a way that she would probably discourage to her patients. The irony ensues when Deborah later admits she is having an affair. I found this to be the core humor of the movie. Both these people act as if they're supposed to be somehow "evolved" past the natural reactions people make when finding out their spouse is having/had an affair. Yet here they are making scenes in a crowded mall for strangers.
Deborah and Nick plan their future together, their divorce, and their reconciliations all in a span of a just a few hours. I find that aspect of the film very humorous and delightful. Midler and Allen (though would seem like a complete physical mis-match) are very funny and quite charming together. They express such a manic day together in perfect sync. I would say this is a satirical look at marriage, so not all elements seem realistic and perhaps over the top (Allen hyproventalating and Midler's collapse in a drug store), but a satire it is definetely. There is also this mime seemingly following the couple around the mall that is really just damm annoying and I could have done without him.
The heart of this story being that ultimately, Nick and Deborah love eachother just because they love eachother. Their marriage isn't logical or rational, it's a marriage. They couldn't imagine being with anyone else or without eachother in their lives (must be a special feeling). 8/10