The film received mostly negative reviews, and rated at 32% on
Rotten Tomatoes from an aggregate of 25 reviews. At the time of its release, film critics almost unanimously commented that the characters' emotional responses were contrived and false, and that the gaudy set design and production seemed an obvious effort to hide the film's lack of both comedic value and dramatic substance. On their
television show, Ebert's colleague
Gene Siskel called the film "stunningly unfunny," saying he "didn't laugh once when they were inside the mall, and that's incredible for a film with these two stars." Siskel also wondered if Allen's paycheck was the sole reason for his appearance in the film. The
Los Angeles Times Peter Rainder opined that "the pairing of Allen and Midler, which might seem like the kind of weirdo match-up that could produce a comedy classic, never takes flight. ... Allen and Midler are such highly individual actors that they never quite seem to be in the same orbit; the series of juicy marital revelations that keep perking the movie come across as forced and schematic because we never really believe in the relationship."
Variety similarly said that the characters' "emotional storms never achieve any veracity. They seem like just another indulgence on the part of the pampered, secure spouses." Many critics found the film's awfulness to be especially startling in light of its esteemed director and lead actors. However, most commented that Allen and Midler's performances were not to blame, as there was simply no way to play the characters that would have made them likable or believable.
Scenes from a Mall was amongst
Siskel & Ebert's worst movies of 1991.
Gene Siskel, who chose the film for the list with Ebert approving the choice, remarked, "Bette Midler and Woody Allen in the same film as a married couple? Well, the very idea of that is funnier than anything in the movie!" ==Box office==