rating:
(out of
4 stars)United Kingdom, United States, Germany; 2008
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd; produced by Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman; written by Catherine Johnson
Starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Amanda Seyfried, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Dominic Cooper
Once you get used to the fact that it's really James Bond singing ABBA’s "S.O.S", this film version of the musical 'Mamma Mia!' is quite amusing. Well, I guess that is true, but I must admit I find ABBA songs quite amusing. If you love those songs you could love this film. If you hate them it, is hard to like 'Mammi Mia!' at all.
Singing Meryl Streep is the heart of the story, even though it is about her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) trying to find out which men is her father. After stealing her mother’s diary she knows it’s either Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth or Stellan Skarsgård. She is about to get married to Sky (Dominic Cooper) on an island in Greece, and to make sure her father is present she invites all three of them.
Streep and two of her best friends - they once formed a band called Donna and the Dominoes - sing themselves through this film with well known classics like "Dancing Queen", "Does Your Mother Know", "Take a Chance on Me", "S.O.S.", "Money, Money, Money", and of course "Mamma Mia!" Sometimes her daughter, husband to be, Pierce Brosnan or people from the island take over, and, admittedly, the film is over before you know it.
'Mamma Mia!' is light hearted entertainment, nothing more really. The first twenty minutes are awful and they go over the top in establishing relationships and introducing characters, but once the three men arrive on the island "fun" is the best word to describe the film, the performances (especially Streep), and the musical numbers. It may be nothing more than that, but you know whether you want to see an ABBA musical or not. If so, you get exactly what you want.