'American Mall' movie premiere in Hoffman Estates

Can a feature-length music video translate to back-to-school sales?

Sears is banking on it.

The Hoffman Estates-based retail giant has teamed with MTV to launch the new movie musical "The American Mall," which got a red carpet premiere Wednesday night at the Sears Centre.

Four of the movie's stars attended a special screening that drew an estimated 2,000 people.

Chicago native and Lane Tech High School grad Rodney To plays Ben, manager of the Weinerland hot dog stand in the mall's food court.

With a brother in Arlington Heights and other relatives in Schaumburg, he's walked Woodfield's ramps many times.

"To this day, my family goes to Woodfield to shop at Christmas," To said. And, of course, they shop at Sears. "I know I can buy a nice pair of jeans and then buy a lawn mower," he laughed.

Before the movie started, the crowd was forewarned of product placement so blatant, that one of the dance numbers used Sears exercise equipment as props.

"You guys are too savvy to have stuff like that jammed on you," said MTV's Dan Lovinger, senior vice president of brand sales. "See if we did it right."

The cast wears Sears clothing, while also eating soft pretzels and smoothies in front of the Sears entrance. Extras carry Sears bags in the background.

"The American Mall" targets a slightly older audience than "High School Musical." There are a couple swear words and even an innuendo or two. This is MTV, after all, not Disney.

"This is a little more mature and kind of reminds you of a music video," said star Nina Dobrev, best known for her role as an unwed teen mother in "DeGrassi: The Next Generation."

Not that Sears wants to distance itself from the more G-rated demographic. The company recently signed "High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens to headline its back-to-school campaign.

"The American Mall" premieres at 8 p.m. Aug. 11, on MTV. The DVD and soundtrack hit stores the following day.