First of all, I should qualify this review by saying I saw the Broadway production of Mamma Mia twice, and I own quite a bit of Abba music. And imagine how disappointed I was on a recent trip to Stockholm to find that the Abba Museum was not opening until next year.
Anyway, this movie was a lot of fun. No, Pierce Brosnan can’t sing. And of course it’s improbable that dozens of people would break out in song and dance at the same time. But that’s musicals. And this is pure movie musical escapist fantasy.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Mamma Mia is, essentially, the songs of Abba strung together around a very thin plot. Sophie, a young woman played by Amanda Seyfried is engaged to be married to Sky, played by Dominic Cooper (whom you may have seen and remembered as Dakin in The History Boys). Sophie’s mom is Donna, played ably by Meryl Streep, but she does not know who her father is. Since she wants her father to be at her wedding, she secretly invites three old boyfriends of her mother’s to her wedding.
Where there are secrets, there are complications. Don’t worry, there is a happy ending.
Christine Baranski and Julie Walters (Mrs. Weaslyof Harry Potter fame) play Meryl Streep’s two fun-loving, singing, dancing sidekicks. They make a great trio. So see this movie and, if you do go, please stay for the closing credits.
La Bibliofille 