I love watching musicals, especially my all-time favorite "Grease", but when it comes to the Disney Channel-type musicals like the "High School Musical" saga, cheesy and forgivable is in my library. This comes in handy with the MTV musical treasure, "The American Mall" which is not a Disney Channel-type of musical. The plot involves Ally (Nina Dobrev from Degrassi: The Next Generation and The Vampire Diaries) who is a singer/songwriter who is (a) trying to fit in with her music career, (b) trying to get into a musical symposium and (c) stuck with her mother while working in a music shop. That all changes when the handsome janitor/musician named Joey (Rob Mayes) hears one of her songs and is amazed by the songs she writes. Ally and Joey do have eyes for each other and they do fall in love but love is so not a sales item when the bitchy Madison (Autumn Reeser) interruptly snatches Joey from Ally and turns him into a sensation for Madison's new store. Director Shawn Ku and telewriter Margaret Oberman takes some time with the clichés, but the musical numbers and the cast sometimes hits it home. They don't exactly standout when it comes to 20somethings playing teenagers but mostly, I didn't care. Add some funny janitors, some wacky assistants, an token Asian-American guy who is funny for anything and the result is a cheesy but likable and charismatic treasure that is worth checking out to the pre-teens and teenagers. P.S: Good performances from Dobrev and Mayes as the two leads.

I definitely don't think it was as good as HSM. I watched this because I really liked HSM and I knew this was done by the same people that did HSM. Plus I just love Autumn Reeser. She was good in this. Her character is pretty much the same as Taylor in The O.C. I really wanted to like Nina, the female lead, in this movie but she just didn't do it for me. The girl who did her singing had an alright voice. I really liked the male lead and the rest of the cast. They definitely stole the show. The songs weren't as catchy as the HSM ones, although there were a couple I liked. The story and songs were definitely better by the end. Overall it was entertaining and worth watching.

Though comparisons to "High School Musical" are inevitable, the charm of "The American Mall" is in its contrasts. TAM has a more honest and humble foundation for its story, and doesn't over-promise anything. And that's good.The musical numbers aren't intended to blow you out the door like HSM, but instead are outward expressions of inner battles. Even though fantastical, the numbers reflect feelings and emotions more creatively and genuinely than HSM.Focusing on the actors, Nina Dobrev's eyes are amazing in their subtle expressions. During an early duet, Dobrev (as Ally) hints at joy, thrill, uncertainty, wild abandon, and fear as her character wrestles with the bombardment of feeling. It's heartbreaking, soaring, and perfectly done. Later, during a terrific fantasy scene, Dobrev burns off the character's restraints to reveal one seriously intense individual. Dobrev's expressiveness combined with excellent songs and sharp choreography give TAM a solid foundation.In a welcome contrast to Disney's formula of lightweight antagonists, the character of Madison, played to perfection by Autumn Reeser, is one mean young lady, who has no reservations about stepping on anyone to get what she wants. Autumn gives this shallow character quite a bit of depth, though, in a way that sets up a climactic scene that is surprising in its power.Rob Mayes brings a sense of reality to the character of Joey the janitor. His character's imperfections, choices and their consequences are key drivers in the movie. Mayes' portrayal is nicely understated, and it reinforces the humble feel of the movie.What TAM shares with HSM are solid songs that move the story along. While HSM has slicker choreography and production, TAM has better and more frequent bits of humor throughout, providing just the right balance of tone.HSM tells viewers that no matter what stereotype you fit, you don't have to completely subscribe to that image...you can break loose and achieve superstardom, which equates to being able to sing, dance and act.TAM meets viewers closer to the truth, that not every dream comes true, and that your character and conviction will be sorely tested in life, even by those closest to you. Try to persevere anyway.

I just finished watching this show. I agree to a large degree with the review that was posted on here. This show could have been a lot better with more originality. I have read that the main female singer's voice may have been dubbed. This movie was more set up to sell the commercials than to present a musical like "High School Musical," and actually "Camp Rock" were. It borrowed from these sources as well as a host of others I cannot think of at the moment.Frankly I liked some of the songs but Mtv cut off some of the numbers to go to commercials before the ending of the song was actually shown. The last number was definitely borrowed from "Camp Rock." When "High School Musical" came out, I thought it was a good idea and I am sure teenagers could relate. Now we are seeing so many clones or attempts to clone this show, that is getting out of hand.I am sure the "Camp Rock" and "High School Musical" fans will probably watch this or tape it and may even buy the DVD.I wish they could rely on better material.Again, this is one person's opinion.