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Movies / On DVD / Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!

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Mamma Mia! (2008)

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Reviews Counted:169

Fresh:90

Rotten:79

Average Rating:5.5/10

Consensus: This jukebox musical is full of fluffy fun but rough singing voices and a campy tone might not make you feel like "You Can Dance" the whole 90 minutes.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some sex-related comments.

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:04-07-2008

Synopsis: After its run as a West End hit in London, MAMMA MIA became a Broadway smash when it opened in New York back in 2001. With a story framed around the music of the Swedish pop band Abba, crowds loved... After its run as a West End hit in London, MAMMA MIA became a Broadway smash when it opened in New York 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]

Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried

Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Christine Baranski

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Screenwriter: Catherine Johnson
Producer: Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman
Composer: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for Mamma Mia!

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The infectious, decades-old ABBA songs on which the film is anchored are the only thing keeping it afloat.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/18/08
Mike Goodridge
Mike Goodridge
Screen International

The story is ... urh. No film has ever had a more irrelevant story.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment 2 Comments
10/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cute, clean, camp fun, full of sunshine and toe tappers.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/11/08
Angie Errigo
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hugely enjoyable musical with gorgeous location work, terrific songs and superb performances from a fabulous cast.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
07/18/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

This film is so sunny that it should crack through any cynicism. Of course, it helps to have an A-list cast singing their hearts out.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
07/11/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

The sheer zestful force of this movie will blast anyone with an ounce of fun into the aisles for an impromptu bout of Abba karaoke

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
07/13/08
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Betsy Sherman
Betsy Sherman
Boston Phoenix

You can have a perfectly nice time watching this spirited adaptation of the popular stage musical and, once the hangover wears off, acknowledge just how bad it is.

comment 7 Comments
07/17/08
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

On the scale of Celebrities Who Can't Sing, [Brosnan]'s a few notches above Lee Marvin in Paint Your Wagon but falls short of the vocal skills of Burt Reynolds in At Long Last Love.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
07/15/08
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

If you're invited, you might as well enjoy yourself. Just don't say I didn't warn you. And don't you dare say I hate ABBA.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/18/08
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

like cotton candy, unsubstantial, brightly colored, way too sweet, and ultimately unsatisfying in any meaningful way. Plus it might just make you just a little nauseous

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment 2 Comments
07/16/08
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

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."

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment 4 Comments
08/01/08
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

Mamma Mia! presents itself as a piece of clever counter-programming to this summer's surfeit of pounding, effects-driven comic-book movies. But filmgoers eager to sample its sunny, synth-pop pleasures are likely to feel just as bludgeoned.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
07/17/08
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

The legal definition of torture has been much aired in recent years, and I take Mamma Mia! to be a useful contribution to that debate.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment 5 Comments
07/21/08
Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane
New Yorker

The new film version of the Broadway musical Mamma Mia! seems to be made by people who have no instinctive connection to pop music.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment 3 Comments
07/16/08
Armond White
Armond White
New York Press

Would be more persuasive if you felt any real chemistry between Streep and Brosnan. But how could you? They've been singing ABBA songs at each other for two hours.

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
07/17/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

Miscast, poorly shot, possibly choreographed by a spastic eight-year-old, Mamma Mia! is a mess, but it's kind of an impressive mess.

Full Review Source: Movie Retriever | comment 5 Comments
07/20/08
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
Movie Retriever

By turns entertaining and excruciating, Mamma Mia!, the jukebox musical that strings together 19 ABBA hits on a narrative thread flimsier than dental floss, had me smiling and wincing, often at the same time.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
07/17/08
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

Mamma Mia! is a sloppy, overwrought mess of a musical, but then those darn ABBA songs pop up and all is bliss for the next three minutes.

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
07/19/08
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

If Mamma Mia! works on any level at all, it's through the sheer radiance of Meryl Streep.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
07/15/08
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
 
 
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Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Latest News for Mamma Mia!

February 04, 2009: Exclusive: Inside Pinewood/Shepperton - A Photo Tour
Every year, the BAFTA film awards present a trophy for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Introduced in 1978, the award recognises an organisation or a person's career... More...

January 21, 2009: Razzies Name 2008's Worst Movie Nominees
No awards season would be complete without the Golden Raspberry Awards (AKA The Razzies), awarded each year to the very worst movies to hit Hollywood. This year's winners will... More...

January 07, 2009: People's Choice Awards Winners Announced
The 35th annual People's Choice Awards were handed out on January 7, 2009. A complete list of film nominees, with winners in bold, follows below. More...

December 28, 2008: There's a neat free spirit versus family values message here, about a dad being no big deal when you can have three. Not to mention that family is more about who loves you, than whatever does or doesn't dangle between their legs. Opens in new window
More...

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