This is entertainment, not a movie. And as entertainment goes, Mamma Mia! belts it out of the park.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some sex-related comments
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Theatrical Release: Jul 18, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $132,512,495
Synopsis: MAMMA MIA became a Broadway smash when it hit Broadway back in 2001. With a story framed around the music of the Swedish pop band Abba, crowds loved its raucous, dance party vibe. Now it comes to the silver screen, with some truly delightful performances from the likes of Meryl Streep and Pierce... MAMMA MIA became a Broadway smash when it hit Broadway back in 2001. With a story framed around the music of the Swedish pop band Abba, crowds loved its raucous, dance party vibe. Now it comes to the silver screen, with some truly delightful performances from the likes of Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. It is the story of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) a young woman living on a picturesque Greek island with her mother, Donna (Streep.) Together, Donna and Sophie run a ramshackle island inn, and they are in the midst of preparing for Sophie's wedding. As the wedding approaches, Sophie becomes troubled by the fact that she has never known her father. She was the result of one of her mother's summer flings, and her mother has never revealed her father's identity. When Sophie stumbles upon her mother's diary, she learns that there are three possible men who could be her dad. Without telling her mother, she invites all three to her wedding. When Harry (Colin Firth), Sam (Brosnan), and Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) all arrive at the same time, Donna is of course shocked and overwhelmed by seeing her old lovers again after such a long time. She turns to her two best friends, Tanya (Christine Baranaki) and Rosie (Julia Walters), for their support, and vows to just get through the wedding and weekend. Meanwhile, Sophie spends time with each man, determined to learn the truth. Major hijinks and confusion ensues, all amidst the utterly romance scenery, and the rather irresistible, swelling love ballads. Streep has a lovely singing voice, and to watch her throw herself into this whimsical role is truly a delight. She looks like she is having a ball, and it is hard not to shimmy along with her. Baranski reliably delivers an over-the-top showstopper, and Brosnan's tender singing voice makes his character all the more touching. The film strives to be a jubilant celebration of mother/daughter relationships and the love between good friends, and no matter how cheesy some may find Abba, it is hard to resist its many charms. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth
Screenwriter: Catherine Johnson
Producer: Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman
Composer: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus
Reviews
Mamma Mia! has an exclamation in its title for a reason: it just wants to shout out its sense of fun. The film is buoyantly unpretentious and proclaims at the top of its voice, "Take me as I am."
The music is as great now as it was 30 years ago, a true testament to ABBA's continued popularity.
Nusicals traditionally rely rather heavily on things like singing and dancing; but what stage director Phyllida Lloyd throws onto the screen could better be described as "singing" and "dancing."
I tapped my foot, I smiled, and I found myself undeniably amused. If that's the kind of experience you're looking for, and if you dig ABBA, this crazy, sloppy, mixed-up movie might just be for you.
Shot on location in Greece, but the way Meryl Streep tears through the scenery, you'd think she was in a giant reptile suit on the back lot at Toho.
The big-screen Mamma Mia! rises above its flaws through an A-list leading lady and, like its stage-musical predecessor, skillful exploitation of the both fun and pathos in Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' undeniable music.
Lacking the punch or creativity of the stage musical, this sunny, but not very funny adaptation is short on vocal prowess and choreography.
A dinky, dreary lump that is too lazy to offend the intellect and too uninspired to cause even a cackle of audience derision.
Unless you buy into this ersatz jubilance and its grim determination to make you feel good, you're apt to long for a tranquilizer gun by the 20-minute mark.
There might not be anything as utterly dispiriting as watching people pretending to have fun, and that is quite literally the only card the movie has to play.
You could spend all week eating bacon at a pig farm and still find more ham in "Mamma Mia!," an irrepressible, unstoppable kaleidoscope of karaoke camp gone berserk that features a cast happily mainlining ABBA's songbook.
Terrible jokes in a movie that is nonetheless hilarious. You will laugh at, not with, Mamma Mia.
The movie gets by on sheer exuberance. Your appreciation of it, I suspect, will strongly depend on your mood and the enthusiasm of the audience members around you.
I love musicals and I love ABBA, so I was really excited for this movie. I pretty much got what I deserved.
It is not merely that Pierce Brosnan cannot sing; it is that he looks so uncomfortable doing it.
There is a whole lot of screaming, giggling and squealing in this film, and that's just the men. Seriously, this is a chick flick.
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