Directed by Barry Gonzales, ‘The Mall, The Merrier’, a Metro Manila Film Festival 2019 entry, summarizes the trends of millennial humor through the characters of Moira (Vice Ganda) and Morisette (Anne Curtis), a story about two rival siblings claiming ownership of a mall with a few enchanted setbacks.
Premiering in cinemas last December 25, ‘The Mall, The Merrier’ is Vice Ganda’s seventh MMFF entry since 2012, and Anne Curtis’ fifth since 1997 following each of their 2018 MMFF entries “Fantastica” and “Aurora”, respectively.
Starring the It’s Showtime hosts, Anne Curtis and Vice Ganda team up for the first time on the big screen portraying as rival siblings who come to face a whirlwind of adventures starting from surviving bankruptcy, knowing dark family secrets, and battling talking mannequins.
The film also featured a pool of celebrity cameos from Ruffa Gutierrez (Annabelle) with Annabelle Rama (as herself), Yassi Pressman (Maria Clara), Ion Perez (one of the boxer models), Mimiyuuuh (young Moira), “You do note” child star Majo Lingat (one of the “brutz” dolls), Enrique Gil (Robohero), and even Charo Santos-Concio as herself in the film.
A parody of trends
Though it has its commendable moments, the film seems overly cluttered like puzzles made in a rush. From having bad scene transitions, unexpected flashback sequences, and even musical numbers with little to no significance, “The Mall, The Merrier” could have been better.
With its lack of the creative sense, from having multiple plot holes to the character set up, it depicted a comedic-magical view of classic films—Night at the Museum, Toy Story, and Avengers: Civil War—with objects inside the mall started to come alive as well as its battle scene with Tita Moody, a play on Dimples Romana’s infamous Kadenang Ginto role of Daniela Mondragon. However, the actors’ performances are substandard.
As some insensitive jokes were delivered, the whole film felt like it was made just for the sake of having an entry.
On the other hand, the costume designs were somehow a redeeming factor in the film. From preppy to chic-inspired design of toys, underwater, and even kitchenwares, all were beyond extraordinary from Ha.Mu Studios, customized by Benilde Fashion Design and Merchandising alumni Mamoru Oki and Abraham Guardian, and other talented local designers.
With its pop-culture jokes and memes, “The Mall, The Merrier” is relatable to the general public, yet it’s entirely another creation of a cliché storyline about the family rivalry.
Overall, the film is essentially a compilation of Filipino jokes stained with Vice Ganda’s classic depreciative humor, a few laughs worth of puns, and a parody of well-known films. “The Mall The Merrier” didn’t raise the bar, so lower expectations on this one because the main takeaway of the film is basically capitalizing on the trending memes online.
See it for yourself as it is still showing in cinemas nationwide until January 7.
Rating: 0 / 5
