Mall Hard - Synopsis

sonny boo productions

A teen action comedy where four teens stumble on a drug deal in the back halls of the local mall and are trapped all night. There's action as the kids evade the drug dealers in and around the mall, and there's comedy as the four kids from different social circles get to know one another.

The story begins in school where the two girls, Alicia, daddy's little girl comes from a family of means, and Vanessa is a girl with trouble saying the word no. The girls are stuck together working on a project for Economics class that requires them to go to the mall together. As for the two guys, J.J. and Steve used to be good friends years before. Steve is approaching J.J. and trying to ensnare him into finding the Lord through church or through sports. J.J. is a very intelligent Generation X slacker who is well read, but does not want to do much other than read and have his conquests with girls. Steve invites him to the mall.

At the food court at the mall, personal revelations are made about the characters and their inter relations, and the introduction to the backstory is made. There are discussions between the guys and the girls about an incident at school where a girl (Stephanie) dropped out of school for accusing a basketball star player (Bobby) of date rape. No one believes her because she is the class slut, as well as Vanessa's cousin. There is a big debate between who t o believe. When the two guys and the two girls collide on their way into the mall, Alicia and J.J. clash and Vanessa and Steve feel a mutual attraction.

J.J. goes into Lane's Video Games where he was recently fired from to receive his last paycheck. There is a lot of tension between him and his former boss, Gary Lane. J.J. was fired for stealing money from the till. Shortly after, Steve asks about the alleged theft and J.J. neither confirms nor denies if he did.

In the halls, Vanessa convinces Alicia to follow the guys. J.J. leads them into the service tunnels that are a maze of colored halls behind the stores. They eventually get lost. They wander into a storeroom where several employees of the Toy Store are packing cocaine into teddy bears. A chase ensues into the back tunnels and on to the roof of the mall. J.J. and Vanessa escape into the mall as it's closing, Alicia and Steve are caught by the dealers. J.J. runs into a security guard. He follows them into the service tunnels skeptically. It turns out the security guard is in on the deal. And J.J. gets knocked out.

All four of them are placed in the store room of the toy store where they are handcuffed to the shelves and fencing. The drug dealers decide, not in the presence of the kids, to keep them there till morning until after the shipment leaves. Then they will let them go because there will be no evidence of foul play. These are not professional drug dealers, they made arrangements for a one time shipment. They proceed into the storeroom and scare the kids into submission.

Now begins the waiting game. In the store room, a bonding experience occurs between the four kids with different backgrounds. They have color conversations about school, life and whether or not Mariah Carey has ever had an orgasm. Meanwhile, the drug dealers are playing with toys, playing a game of poker, and eventually video games.

As the security guard goes to check on the kids, J.J. manages to get his hand cuffs off. Alicia makes snide remarks about her lack of shock that he knew how to do this. As they leave the store room, the security guard spots them. chase begins anew.

They proceed to split up, Steve and Vanessa wind up inside Sears, while J.J. and Alicia go into JC Penney's. Once inside Sears, Steve and Vanessa continue bonding, and eventually have sex. In JC Penney, J.J. sneaks Alicia past the drug dealers and they get back into the mall.

After the post coital moments, Steve confesses that he was witness to the date rape, not knowing that the girl (Stephanie) was Vanessa's cousin. Vanessa storms away from him. She explains that she is hurt and doesn't want anything to do with someone who would NOT take action. At the same time, J.J. breaks into a cookie store so he and Alicia can eat.

The drug dealers are panicking. They have cut all the phone lines and have padlocked all the doors in or out of the mall, but they want to catch the kids. Alicia and J.J. hide in a new car that is on display. Alicia asks him about his being fired and J.J. confides in her that he did not steal the money but took the blame for a co worker who needed the money for his kid. J.J. hatches a plan to get an alarm to go off and get the police to arrive before the shipment leaves. He hot wires the car and drives it into Gary Lane's store because Gary Lane as a separate alarm system (due to his paranoia). The plan works.

After the police arrive and arrests are made of all the drug dealers, Steve makes out a report on the date rape which endears him to Vanessa. J.J. has also suitably impressed Alicia by being a stand up guy.

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