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.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Tomatometer
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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.
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
Reviews for Mamma Mia!
Constructing a play -- and now a clumsily staged film -- around ABBA songs is the definition of a frivolous enterprise, and little has been done to temper the ecstatic mood with other shadings of human emotion.
A playful and light-hearted screen version of the popular Broadway musical which is carried by the snappy and happy songs of Abba.
It gets by on the featherweight golden oldies of ABBA, and the treat of seeing and hearing some golden oldies of the cinema break character and belt out a song.
There's something infuriatingly entertaining about this silly story, those slumming actors (Meryl Streep! Pierce Brosnan!) and those cruel, cruel songs.
In bringing her stage production to the screen, first-time film director Phyllida Lloyd has retained the show’s goofy charm and mostly breathless pacing.
Watching the film rear back and launch constant fireworks of joy is a wonderful thing to behold, positioning itself as an ideal summer diversion to counteract all the cartoons and superheroes...a heavy dose of syrup, but it stomps proudly and effectively.
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.
It's ok. Drop your troubles at the door and dance along. After all, it's ABBA. Who can resist?
There is a fine line between something that is so bad it's good, and something that's genuinely good, and Mamma Mia! straddles it throughout.
The singing-and-dancing work for the basic excitement and energy of a live performance, but an additional boost of cinematic prowess is needed to sustain a similar rhythm on film.
Logic is unnecessary to savor Mamma Mia! Escapist and fun, it never takes itself too seriously.
When Streep, Walters and Baranski share the screen, Mamma Mia! comes alive and earns its exclamation point. The rest is forced gaiety pushed to the breaking point.
The ingredients seem perfect: a stellar cast, an unassailable soundtrack and source material from a proven hit. Somehow, though, this sugary mix turns into a sour hairball that will have you gagging to expel it for 108 minutes.
I won't really defend Mamma Mia!, but I will recommend how to watch it: Just stop rolling your eyes and listen.
I could do without 'Dancing Queen' stuck in my head, but that will unstick soon enough, and with any luck so too will the memory of Streep noodling on an air guitar.
Mamma Mia! is not going to make you think, nor does it want to. But it will make you sing, as long as Brosnan keeps his mouth shut.
A sappy, meaningless story, something on the order of Gidget Goes to Greece, but perhaps inferior to the Sandra Dee standard.
Latest News for Mamma Mia!
February 04, 2009:
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January 21, 2009:
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January 07, 2009:
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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. ![]()
More...
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