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The Mall, The Merrier is a 2019 Filipino musical fantasy comedy film directed by Barry Gonzales and starring Vice Ganda and Anne Curtis. The film was co-produced by Star Cinema and Viva Films under the working title Momalland.[2]

The Mall, The Merrier
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Barry Gonzalez
Written by	Enrico C. Santos Alpha Habon Jonathan Albano Daisy Cayanan[1]
Produced by	Vicente G. Del Rosario Veronique Del Rosario-Corpus Enrico C. Santos Carlo Katigbak Olivia Lamasan Vic Del Rosario Jr. Bobet Vidanes (uncredited)
Starring	Vice Ganda Anne Curtis
Cinematography	Noel Teehankee
Edited by	Noah Tonga
Music by	Emerzon Texon
Production companies	ABS-CBN Film Productions Viva Films
Distributed by	Star Cinema
Release date	December 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)
Running time	123 minutes
Country	Philippines
Languages	Filipino English
Budget	₱23 million
Box office	₱322 million

The film premiered in Philippine cinemas on December 25, 2019, as one of the official entries to the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival.[3]

The Mall, The Merrier marks the first on-screen collaboration between Anne Curtis and Vice Ganda, both of whom are regular hosts in the noontime variety show It's Showtime.[4][5][6]

Synopsis

Two siblings, Moira and Morissette, feud over Tamol Mall, a mall they inherited. The feud is compounded with the arrival of their Aunt Moody, and mysterious events begin to occur when a book containing secrets of the mannequins, toys and mascots that come alive after dark is unsealed.

Cast

Main cast

• Anne Curtis as Morissette "Setset" Molina
  • Andrea Brillantes as teen Morissette
  • Heart Ramos as young Morissette
• Vice Ganda as Moira / Moises Molina
  • Mimiyuuuh as teen Moira/Moises Molina
  • Josh De Guzman as young Moira / Moises Molina

Supporting cast

• Dimples Romana as Tita Moody
• Elisse Joson as Mola Molina
• Jameson Blake as Tanacio Molina
• Lassy Marquez as Baks
• MC Calaquian as Tong
• Brenda Mage as Sasha
• Petite as Casim
• Jin Macapagal as Ewan
• Tony Labrusca as Gardo
• Negi
• Susan Africa as Aling Mae
• Chad Kinis as Lovely
• Matmat Centino

Guest cast

• Juliana Parizcovia Segovia
• Zeus Collins as Lapu-Lapu
• Maja Salvador as Sisa
• Charo Santos-Concio as herself
• Enrique Gil as Robohero
• Ruffa Gutierrez as Annabelle / herself
• Annabelle Rama as herself
• Mark McMahon as Ferdinand Magellan
• McCoy de Leon as Andres Bonifacio
• Donny Pangilinan as Jose Rizal
• Jackie Gonzaga
• Yassi Pressman as Maria Clara
• Ion Perez as Richard
• Kirst Viray as one of the Post Bastardos
• Greg Hawkins
• Carlo Mendoza
• Miel Espinoza
• Marigona Dona Dragusha
• Regine Velasquez as herself / singer
• Ogie Diaz as Nicole
• Francine Diaz
• Kyle Echarri
• Seth Fedelin

Production

The development for The Mall, The Merrier was first confirmed in April 2019, when lead actor Vice Ganda announced that he would star together with Anne Curtis in a then-yet-to-be-named comedy film which is intended to be entered for the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival.[5][7][8] The film was shot in Harrison Plaza in Malate, Manila,[9] before it ceased operations on December 31, 2019. The finale scenes were filmed at Marquee Mall in Angeles City.

Release

The Mall, The Merrier premiered in the Philippines on December 25, 2019 as one of the official entries of the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics, despite coming in first at the box office.[10] Most of the criticism was directed at its "non-existent" plot, stale humor and poor use of the shopping mall setting.

Oggs Cruz of Rappler lamented what he saw as a wasted opportunity, stating it is "more of the same – and messier" and "while the settings change or the genre it spoofs shift, the elements remain the same. The comedies are all anchored on mean-spirited hilarity, all utilizing a broad moral lesson to make its abject crassness palatable to the families it caters to," comparing it unfavorably to George Romero's seminal zombie film Dawn of the Dead whose department store setting was used to satirize consumerism.[11]

Conversely, Jocelyn Valle of PEP.ph gave the film a more positive review, praising the cast, special effects and pop culture references, particularly the feud between the Baretto sisters and the network rivalry between ABS-CBN and GMA Network, a scene where Vice's character Moises and a parodic depiction of the living doll Annabelle from The Conjuring, played by Ruffa Gutierrez, get into a hair-pulling fight and wind up in the premises of the GMA-7 broadcast facility. Valle did, however, criticise the "lack of a strong supporting character for Vice to throw punchlines at and comedic flair" and found Vice's use of a joke pertaining to German dictator Adolf Hitler to be of poor taste in light of Holocaust victims.[12]

Television release

Pay-per-view

The film premiered on KBO from May 1–6, 2020[13] at the time ABS-CBN Channel 2 and its broadcast stations went off air on May 5, 2020, due to the "cease and desist order" given by the National Telecommunications Commission due to expired franchise, and KBO was not affected in this "cease and desist order" (due to the channel is on a digital station that is owned by AMCARA, which has its own franchise and where ABS-CBN had a blocktime agreement with the said station) until June 30, 2020 in Metro Manila and July 1, 2020 nationwide.

Cable television

The film premiered on Cinema One on August 2, 2020,[14] PBO on October 10, 2020[15] and on Kapamilya Channel on November 2, 2020.

Free-to-air

The film premiered on A2Z Channel 11 on December 25, 2020, a year after its theatrical release.[16] There were plans to be put on GMA 7 (as part of GMA planned to put Star Cinema produced films), but the date isn't announced yet.

References

External links

• The Mall, The Merrier at IMDb

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