Last Christmas, my mum asked for Mamma Mia! on DVD because my dad wouldn't let her rent it. Come Christmas day and after eating copiously and drinking similarly we sat down (dad excluded) to watch (mercifully not the sing-a-long version).
I was apprehensive. I'm not good with musicals and I'm definitely not good with Abba. Begrudgingly I joined in willing my loathing along. From minute one I thought, 'this is horrid', but by the end I was toe tapping with the best of them. I can't put my finger on what makes this film so enjoyable but somehow it is, and somehow I'll try.
So, the story. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is due to get married on a Greek island but prior to exchanging her vowls she wishes to find out the identity of her father. She secretly invites the three potentials (Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgård) to the wedding without letting her mother (Meryl Streep) know. What ensues is her quest to find out his identity, and much hilarity concerning befuddled mother, potential fathers and mother's friends (Julie Walters and Christine Baranski). Throw in 22 of Abba's greatest hits and you have a sure-fire remedy for populist success and my worst nightmare.
This film is unashamedly daft and I think it is for this reason that it is so enjoyable. The cast is heavyweight but no one takes them self seriously in the slightest. Pierce Brosnan clearly can't sing, but who cares? He's funny and charming and pulls this off very well. Meryl Streep has the kind of fun you hope Meryl Streep has in real life, letting her serious thesp rest for the day. Julie Walters is perhaps the most entertaining here and her every move is greeting with laughter.
The script is hardly wonderful but the songs (which even I enjoyed here) and the central performances are what keeps this enjoyable. It is shallow entertainment and proud of it. Do we see any character development? Not really. But do we like the characters? On the whole, yes.
The only slight let down is the presence (or lack of it) of the 'younger' characters. Dominic Cooper as the fiancé is wooden and stiff and his bride to be (Amanda Seyfried) fairs little better as she flashes her teeth consistently as a way of acting c as if straight out of High School Musical. It doesn't matter though because they're fairly irrelevant throughout.
Production Year: 1999 - Music / Performing Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: Exempt - Starring: Donny Osmond, Joan Collins, Richard Attenborough
My grumpy husband wouldn't let me rent this so I had to wait for it to come onto Sky+. I put it on when my Mum and Dad visited and funily enough my husband also sat and watched it, I even caught him singing along
JOHNV 29.10.2009 19:02
I've always loved Abba, but not sure how I would be with hearing their songs sung by others...maybe I'm a bit of a snob!
mumsymary 29.10.2009 15:40
I am not an Abba fan so I do not expect to watch this
The delirious sight of Meryl Streep leading a river of multigenerational women singing ... more
"Dancing Queen" is one of the high points ofMamma Mia!, the musical built around the songs of the hugely popular pop group ABBA. The plot sets in motion when Sophie ...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The delirious sight of Meryl Streep leading a river of multigenerational women singing ... more
"Dancing Queen" is one of the high points ofMamma Mia!, the musical built around the songs of the hugely popular pop group ABBA. The plot sets in motion when Sophie ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Funny, warm, great cast, great songs, a real feel-good film that will make you smile Disadvantages: Very slightly inferior to the stage version
KarenUK 21.07.2008 (21.07.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Mamma Mia!
Advantages: Good songs, some of the cast are having fun Disadvantages: Poor singing; invisible choreography; badly written script; miscast actors; you want more?
Seresecros 01.09.2008 (01.09.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Mamma Mia!
![Mamma Mia! [DVD] [2008]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/81500191.jpg "Mamma Mia! [DVD] [2008]")
Oct 29th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
