(16 votes, score: 4.81 out of 5)
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Mamma Mia (2008) is a scenic and joyful musical event that should not be missed. The film’s all-star cast includes Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, Stella Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Christine Baranski, and Julie Walters. After watching this film you will speed-dial your travel agent and book your next vacation to the Greek Isles.
Mamma Mia tells the tale of lost and renewed love thru some of ABBA’s greatest hits. Donna (Streep) is the owner of a run down resort hotel in Greece and a single mother raising Sophie (Seyfried) who is a stunning twenty-year-old set to marry her sweetheart Sky (Cooper). The day before the wedding Donna’s long lost friends from her 70’s disco group, which include Rosie the “loan wolf” (Walters) and the vain Tanya (Baranski), arrive to help celebrate. As Donna is renewing her friendship, Sophie’s surprise guests appear: Sam Carmichael (Brosnan) an architect, Harry Bright (Firth) a rich English banker, and Bill (Skarsgard) a nomadic novelist. From reading her mother’s diary Sophie discovered that one of these three men is her biological father. The problem is how to decide which man is her dad, but she soon realizes this task is not as easy as it seems.
Amanda Seyfried stands out as the sweet innocent Sophie. Amanda’s angelic looks match her beautiful voice. This film will launch her into super stardom. Meryl Streep proves once again why she is such a respected actress. It’s a given that Streep will receive another Oscar nomination for this role. Veteran actors Walters and Baranski provide most of the comedic relief. They are both wonderful in their own right. The men did not fair as well. Every time Pierce Brosnan opened his mouth to sing I cringed. He was completely tone deaf and looked out of place. Colin Firth held his own in the singing department and for us lucky ladies he ended up in another wet white shirt.
The rookie Phyllida Lloyed directs Mamma Mia and her inexperience shows. The flow of the film is choppy at times. The transition from dance numbers to dialog is not as smooth as it could have been. The helicopter shots during The Winner Takes It All were disorganized and seemed out of place.
The film is a fun carefree experience that should not be taken seriously. The movie is better then Hairspray, but it does not quite reach the level of Grease. If you are fond of musicals and are looking for a good campy time check out this film.
Rated PG-13
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October 3rd, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Shanna you’re an idiot. This movie was terrible.
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
That is funny considering it’s made over $500 million dollars. There are millions of people all over the World that disagree with you. Thanks for the personal attack, very classy.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Now, I haven’t seen this so I can’t really give a for / against argument regarding it. But, a film critic should know, more than anybody, that in no way does box office earnings = quality of the film.
February 14th, 2009 at 6:57 am
I really liked the review and the movie. Everyone likes something different when it comes to movie experiences. Not all movies have to have the substance it takes to be on the top 10 greatest ever made. The movie was a lot of fun! That is the whole point of it.
September 13th, 2009 at 2:00 am
I liked your review very much. Unfortunately, I noticed a small grammatical error. In the sentence, “The men did not fair as well.”, the word “fair” was used incorrectly. The correct form is “fare”.
January 10th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Thank you! Someone else agrees with me that Pierce Brosnan could not carry a note in a paper bag! My mom and I had an arguement about that; she recently got it for christmas.
I agree with your review wholeheartedly. I was blown away by Meryl Streep and her voice. I also liked your review.
April 9th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Omg I agree 100%! When Pierce Brosnan sang I wanted to cry. His singing was the only awful part of the film. Otherwise I loved it! It was sweet, funny, and well acted.
Good cast.
I hope Amanda goes far in her career. She was wonderful
May 29th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Very good review. Pierce Brosnan and singing do not go hand in hand, and I’m glad you weren’t shy about admitting that.
Meryl, Amanda, and the music of Abba are the key elements of the film.
Liked the shoutout to “Grease”, which remains my favorite musical, and film, of all time :)