Three likable leads (Susan Saint James, Jane Curtin and Jessica Lange) are pretty much wasted in sloppy, colorless comedy about suburban housewives--put-upon and desperate!--scheming to rob a shopping mall of its contest booty. Too few visual gags and a stale script rob this movie of its charm, with the actresses struggling not to look like caustic harpies. Robert Scheerer directs as if he were working for television, with a cramped budget that makes the whole thing look junky. Good supporting cast, including Dabney Coleman and Richard Benjamin, is given little to do, while the ingenuity of the women is passed over for dumbed-down slapstick and a T&A shot. *1/2 from ****
