AMERICAN MALL, THE - DVD review

They say that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but that hasn't stopped Disney from trying to recapture the magic of "High School Musical" with two sequels and a heavily-marketed made-for-TV summer variation, "Camp Rock." Now MTV has gotten into the act, keeping it clean for a target audience of 'tweens with "The American Mall." Make no mistake about it, MTV is also trying to capitalize on the "High School Musical" phenomenon, since the cover of this DVD proudly proclaims that it's "from the executive producers of 'High School Musical.'"

Okay, so what exactly does that mean? It depends on whom you ask. If you talk to someone like my daughter, a familiar plot structure and similarly inserted (and staged) songs make it a film that's very much like "HSM" and just as enjoyable. The look is also the same, which is surprising, given the slickness and edginess that has been a trademark of MTV all these years. In fact, it's not even as slick-looking as the "HSM" films. That's one reason why it feels like a cheaper knockoff to me. Still, it's worth noting that kids who like "High School Musical" and "Camp Rock" will also like this amiable musical, especially because the songs are really catchy--easily as good as the "HSM" songbook. And if you look at the end credits, you'll see why. Three of the 10 tunes were written by David Lawrence, who did the music for all three "High School Musicals." And the choreography was handled by director Shawn Ku and Bonnie Story (who worked on "High School Musical" as well).

"The American Mall" almost perfectly duplicates the narrative and musical structure of "High School Musical." Instead of high school, it's a mall, and rather than have the two shy aspiring singers only being high school students, one is the daughter of a music store owner who works at the mall (and rehearses there after-hours) and the other is a janitor at the same mall. Both of them have dreams of making it in the music world, and they both "find" each other over an improvised duet, shades of "HSM." Instead of a father who wants the son to be only an athlete or a mother who wants her daughter to use her brain to succeed, this girl Ally (Nina Dobrev) has a mom (Yassmin Alers) who was a failed singer and now is the biggest sourpuss on the planet, wanting her daughter to study business in college. Ally, meanwhile, would rather study at a conservatory. Then there's long-haired Joey (Rob Mayes), who has aspirations to become a rock star but works at the mall as a janitor. We have no idea what his home life is like, because it all takes place at the mall. His "family" is a three-pack of janitors who jam with him on brooms and air guitars and drums while the security guards pretend they're catching bad guys to pass the time. A lot goes on at the mall after people leave, you know.

As with "High School Musical," the female lead's nemesis is a spoiled rich girl. But Madison (Autumn Reeser) doesn't just want to steal Ally's new boyfriend and musical soul mate. Determined to launch her own designer line and impress her rich daddy (Al Sapienza), she's also made it her mission to force the music store out of the mall.

At the mall-all!

Which brings us to the music. Lawrence wrote one of the three big production numbers that are placed at the beginning, middle, and end (again, like "HSM"), and they're the kind of songs that will have you singing or dancing . . . mostly if you're a 'tween or younger. "Every 10 Seconds," "At the Mall," and "Get Your Rock On" are the big numbers, but "Don't Hold Back" is also strong, while "Survivor" provides the only moments when parents will be reminded it's an MTV production. For this one, Ally (and the alleycats, for lack of an official group name) strut their stuff in black outfits with high-heeled FM boots and they do a little stripper-style high leg kicks and boob-shaking shoulder shimmying. That she's announcing in the song how she's no longer going to be a "nice girl" doesn't exactly jive with what happens next and also doesn't set a great example. But it's an energetic song that's nicely performed. In fact, the music is a strong point. The only criticism I have is that the songs are over-processed with a Stevie Nicks-style nasal vibrato that's so noticeable you don't think for a minute it's these kids' raw voices. But there's an energy here, that's for sure.

When Joey and the Janitors (Neil Haskell, David Baum, Wade Allain-Marcus) grab instruments in the store and begin rocking out with "Get Your Rock On"--a catchy tune written by Dana Calitri, Nina Ossoff, and Kathy Sommer--kids spill into the store and it's party a-go-go, reminiscent of all those Beach Blanket or Elvis films. Everything's here but the Swim, the Frug, or the Mashed Potato. But the funny thing is, even though the dance moves were directed by one of the "HMS" choreographers, here and elsewhere they seem much more amateurish--partly because so many of the moves are in chorus-line unison with not enough individual variation, partly because they're not as demanding, and partly because the cast just doesn't seem to have the same level of athleticism. Listening to the director's commentary, when Ku complains that the janitors didn't practice long enough for one routine you get the feeling that he was only half-joking.

With the casting, you have to wonder how many "kids" they auditioned. Dobrev was still a teenager when this was made, but she looks and acts mature enough to be a college grad. Though she has personality, she looks the same age as Reeser, who's supposed to be at least four years older. Then there's Mayes, who also appears to be twentysomething. Maybe MTV was looking to have it both ways and appeal to the high school crowd and the 'tweens, but this group definitely seems older. They're also a little more generic looking than the "High School Musical" cast. I had no trouble remembering the characters from that film, but a day later I was trying unsuccessfully to recall the faces of some of these kids.

Plot-wise, there are no twists, which means no surprises. And we never really get how or why Joey is the only one who understands Ally's music. But it's really all just a vehicle for the music and a feel-good story about following your dreams and maybe finding love . . . at the mall-all . . . AT THE MALL!

Video:
Though the box says it's "widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions," "The American Mall" is presented in letterboxed 1.33:1 aspect ratio, which means if you can change the ratio on your widescreen TV you'll need to watch this in expanded 4x3 mode rather than 16x9, which looks distorted. There's some light graininess throughout and a "soft" look in some of the scenes, but the bulk of them look sharp, with a decent amount of detail for a DVD and bright, vivid colors. Skin tones tend toward the orange at times, but hey, these folks could have been going to work with a spray tan.

Audio:
The soundtrack is a bright and non-metallic English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, with an additional option in 2.0 Stereo and Spanish subtitles. But I wouldn't call it a dynamic soundtrack. The numbers seem big, the gestures and choreography seems big, but the timbre and volume seems modest and underwhelming. I don't know if it's the performances or the mixing, but it's just not as dynamic as the songs could be. Maybe it all goes back to that energy thing . . . or a slight lack thereof.

Extras:
What do you get when you put young actors Nina Dobren, Rob Mayes, Autumn Reeser, Rodney To, Bianca Collins, Blythe Auffarth, Brooke Lyons, and Bresha Webb on the SAME commentary track? A lot of whispering and inside jokes, some mutual backslapping, and a routine that basically goes like this: "Oh, look at (insert name of actor or character). WOOOOOOOOOO!" It's like watching a spring break special when the camera is trained on a bunch of "happy" college students. There's not much in the way of substance here, and the second commentary track with director Ku and "the janitors" isn't a whole lot better. There are way too many "dudes" and "likes" for my taste, and it's more like watching a film with your buddies than people who were actually a part of it and have information to share. There'll be silence, then laughter or a snide comment ("Whoa! That's a reveal, if I ever saw one"), then more laughter. We do learn that the music store was a set, while the rest of the film was shot at the Provo Towne Center mall. "How'd you guys like living in Provo?" Ku asks. But the guys don't play along. Rather than talking about the community or any culture clash, they just say how great their hotel was. Okay. Next bonus feature.

There are 10 minutes worth of deleted scenes that actually reveal more character development and include an alternate ending: Ally & Joey Meet, Compensating, My Bad, History, Let's Get on with the Show, and Alternate Ending. Then, in the biggest reveal, we're reminded of the target audience with "Eraser Moments" --a gag reel sponsored by a blackhead eraser!

Then there's a "Learn to Dance with Bonnie" feature that's actually pretty long--around 20 minutes--and slow enough and shown from two different angles so people who want to learn the steps to two of the songs ("At the Mall" and "Don't Hold Back") can actually do so. But for me, it just underscored how not terribly impressive the choreography was, or how it seemed dumbed down a bit for the actors.

There are no real making-of features, but to underscore that this is all about the music there are music videos for "Get Your Rock On," "Survivor," "Clear," "You Got That Light"--the latter a black-and-white video that's more in the traditional music video mode, whereas the rest blend songs with clips that give a hint of plot, as if they were really intended as teasers all along. Rounding out the bonus features are extended performances of "Every 10 Seconds" and "At the Mall."

Bottom Line:
"High School Musical" still had the best blend of talent, tunes, comedy, and romance, but "The American Mall" is just as good as "High School Musical 2." "Tweens will go nuts over this one, and it's clean enough and wholesome enough to where parents really don't have to lose any sleep over it.