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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: Musical & Performing Arts

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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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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When Streep as Donna cuts loose with ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" standing on a Greek hillside face-to-face with her former lover, Sam (Brosnan), it is the film's defining moment.

Full Review Source: Kaplan vs. Kaplan | comment 1 Comment
07/18/08
David Kaplan
David Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

You gotta love Meryl Streep! Is there anything this actress can't do?

Full Review Source: Kaplan vs. Kaplan | comment Comment
07/18/08
Jeanne Kaplan
Jeanne Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

Brosnan especially looks physically pained choking out the lyrics, as if he's being subjected to a prostate exam just outside of the camera's eye.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment 3 Comments
07/18/08
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

Without Streep front and center, this Mamma Mia! wouldn't be worth taking a chance on.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
07/18/08
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

It's a fluffy happy good time escape from the world, even if Pierce Brosnan is not the second coming of Elvis Presley.

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
07/18/08
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

The musical numbers have been competently and energetically choreographed.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
07/18/08
David Noh
David Noh
Film Journal International

Mamma Mia! leaves me sending out an S.O.S., with much of the blame falling to the filmmakers. It's more akin to a music video than a musical, and a sloppy one at that.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
07/18/08
Russ Breimeier
Russ Breimeier
Christianity Today

While it'd be embellishment to say you'd have the time of your life, any dancing queen or an admirer of seeing Pierce Brosnan croon a tune instead of trigger James Bond destruction can at least have some of the time of your 108 minutes.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
07/18/08
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

This film is made for fans of the show - and fans of ABBA, I suppose. It's a chick flick in many ways - from the romance to the show tunes.

Full Review Source: Film School Rejects | comment Comment
07/18/08
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
Film School Rejects

Before plunking down your cash for a ride on the Mamma Mia! express when it pulls into town, just ask yourself one question: Do I really dig ABBA?

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
07/18/08
Emily Rems
Emily Rems
Premiere Magazine

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

Streep certainly gives it the old college try and so do Walters and Baranski, who are experienced singer/dancers. Somehow they all end up looking just as flamboyantly amateurish as everybody else.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment 1 Comment
07/18/08
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

Mamma Mia! is a feel-good musical experience, pure and simple. The actors display a buoyant commitment to the material and the songs, of course, remain undeniable wonders.

Full Review Source: MTV | comment Comment
07/18/08
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
MTV

Complete fluff, and proud of it...Once you adjust your senses, however, you're bound to submit to this vacation of a movie.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
07/18/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Mamma Mia! wants to be a dancing queen. Try as she might, the highest rank I'd bestow upon her is duchess. And in a few critically wobbly ways, she can't do much better than lady-in-waiting.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
07/18/08
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee

Likable, serviceable, and eminently danceable.

Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | comment 2 Comments
07/18/08
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal

Whatever charms it may have had as a live production have been lost in director Phyllida Lloyd's sloppy big-screen translation.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/18/08
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Cheese -- but what wonderfully salty, sinfully satisfying cheese it is.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
07/18/08
Linda Barnard
Linda Barnard
Toronto Star

Giddy, brainless fun.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
07/18/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

None of this would matter much if this movie wasn't anchored by a star turn, and Streep delivers yet another in a career full of them.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
07/18/08
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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...

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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
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