Take a trip down the aisle you'll never forget
Set on a colorful Greek island, the plot serves as a background for a wealth of ABBA songs. A young woman about to be married discovers that any one of three men could be her father. She invites all three to the wedding without telling her mother, Donna, who was once the lead singer of Donna and the Dynamos. In the meantime, Donna has invited her backup singers, Rosie and Tanya.
Genre(s): Comedy, Musical, Romance
Runtime: 108 minutes
Rating: 6.6/10 (38,906 votes)
Release Date: 30 June 2008
Country: UK, USA, Germany
Languages: English
Company: Universal Pictures
Sound: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sex-related comments.
Director(s): Phyllida Lloyd
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Producer(s):
Benny Andersson - executive producer
Judy Craymer - producer
Gary Goetzman - producer
Tom Hanks - executive producer
Mark Huffam - executive producer
Björn Ulvaeus - executive producer
Rita Wilson - executive producer
Writer(s):
Catherine Johnson - (screenplay)
Catherine Johnson - (musical book)
Cast:
Meryl Streep - Donna Sheridan
Pierce Brosnan - Sam Carmichael
Colin Firth - Harry Bright
Stellan Skarsgård - Bill Anderson
Julie Walters - Rosie
Dominic Cooper - Sky
Amanda Seyfried - Sophie Sheridan
Christine Baranski - Tanya
Ashley Lilley - Ali
Nancy Baldwin - Sam's PA
Music: Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson - executive producer
Judy Craymer - producer
Gary Goetzman - producer
Tom Hanks - executive producer
Mark Huffam - executive producer
Björn Ulvaeus - executive producer
Rita Wilson - executive producer
Writer(s):
Catherine Johnson - (screenplay)
Catherine Johnson - (musical book)
Cast:
Meryl Streep - Donna Sheridan
Pierce Brosnan - Sam Carmichael
Colin Firth - Harry Bright
Stellan Skarsgård - Bill Anderson
Julie Walters - Rosie
Dominic Cooper - Sky
Amanda Seyfried - Sophie Sheridan
Christine Baranski - Tanya
Ashley Lilley - Ali
Nancy Baldwin - Sam's PA
Music: Benny Andersson
Posted on: July 28, 2008
July 19th, 2009
This film was more enjoyable than I expected. I found it to be a lot offun.
Although I recognize "Dancing Queen" and "Take A Chance On Me" as bighits, I don't really know much about the singing group ABBA and thesongs they wrote. According to the reviews of "Mamma Mia," I shouldn'thave liked this musical. But it was free on my cable TV so I thought Iwould watch a little to see for myself if it was as bad as some reviewssaid. After all, while Meryl Streep has been in occasional "B" movies(e.g., 1994's "The River Wild"), her performances in her movies haveall been worth watching.
But despite all of its faults, and with the knowledge that the film isnot meant to be taken seriously, I found I really enjoyed "Mamma Mia."As has already been described in other reviews, the plot (a girl,raised by a single mother (played by Meryl Streep), is about to bemarried and invites three men to the wedding to give her away on herbelief that one of the three is her father) is merely a device on whichto hang a number of Abba songs, not all of which have lyrics that arecompletely appropriate to the story. The fun is watching the mostlytongue-in-cheek performances. Meryl Streep did some singing in at leastone of her previous films, but she really gets to show off her morethan adequate singing ability in "Mamma Mia." Accompanying her as atrio are long time Broadway musical star and comedic actress ChristineBaranski, and British actress/performer Julie Walters. The one star whoseemed miscast as a singer was Pierce Brosnan.
July 22nd, 2009
I didn't expect much so I was happy watching this film. There isn'tmuch of a story here, a young lady named Sophie is getting married andshe invites three men that dated her mom in and around the same time,one of whom is her father. This would fall flat as a drama but as amusical with those infectious ABBA songs, it becomes fun to watch.Meryl Streep is fine as Donna, Sophie's mom and she sings reasonablywell. I would suggest turning up the movie a bit louder and immerseyourself in it. The supporting players, including Colin Firth, PierceBrosnan, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters, are all part of the fun.Not much to think about, but that makes it a better film. So, enjoy,its worth watching.
July 26th, 2009
I was throughly impressed when I watched this film at the cinema. Itwas not what I expected at all, my expectations were that it was goingto be another sappy, dodgy musical. And how wrong was I! This film wasgreat! It's fun, heart-warming and leaves you feeling refreshed. Theperformances were top-notch, Pierce Brosman delivered something new tothe audience. His character was portrayed beautifully and has the goodrightful singing voice!
Seeming like I know every ABBA sang, this film made me up and running.The singing was not bad, not like Whitney Houston, but it stillcaptivated me and the audience to dance about and laugh. Everything adazzling film could hope for. Mamma Mia – give it a try!
********/**********
(8/10 stars)
~Kalendra
July 27th, 2009
My daughter is right…it's probably better to just pop in an ABBAalbum than watch this film. However, despite cringing at a few of thesongs (one of Pierce Brosnan's solos made my eyes bleed and JulieWalter's "Take a Chance" made me attempt suicide–twice) and blanchingat the dopey plot, I couldn't help but still enjoy the film on atotally brainless level because no matter who sings the songs (evenPierce), you can't help but tap your feet and enjoy the songs ofABBA…even if it's being sung by boobs. Like most people who saw thisfilm, it brought me back to my younger days when the group was stillaround…however, my love for ABBA does NOT mean that I am do blindedas to ignore the many dumb moments in this film.
Here are the dumb points to this film:
1. It's basically BUONA SERA MRS. CAMPBELL set to ABBA music. Come on,folks–try something new.
2.Clichés, clichés, clichés!!! Some of the worst and most amateurwriting and dialog I've heard in years.
3. You make a musical and you choose people who can either singadequately (Streep) or barely at all. Brosnan actually wasn't alwayshorrible in the film (his third solo song was nice) but when he wasbad, he was bad….really bad. Worse than Satan bad!
4. It's a great message for the kids here–a heart-warming family filmabout a single mom who turns out to be a super-slut. And, despiterisking STDs and having a kid to raise all alone, everything works outperfectly in the end (14 year-olds take note).
5. Garish production numbers and a case of too much, too often when itcomes to the songs. It often took the place of plot and made the filmlook, at times, like a giant music video. A musical is not the same asa two hour long music video.
So, while it's obvious that I didn't like the movie technically (uggh),it STILL is worth seeing just because ABBA is just amazing. Instead,however, I'd have just preferred they kidnapped Agnetha, Björn, Bennyand Frida and made them perform once last time on film–now THAT wouldhave been worth seeing!
Oh, and while I am thinking of it, all you oldsters out there (likeme), you might want to think twice about seeing this film around yourkids unless they already love ABBA—otherwise you'll never get them tolike or listen to ABBA again after hearing their songs sung so poorly.
By the way, read over Leandro Dubost's review for a laugh. I reallyenjoyed the Hitler comment–not at all politically correct, but it mademe laugh
July 30th, 2009
In many films,the key to it is the people starring in it. Mamma Mia isa fun film for many reasons. But the main reason is because of MerylStreep, Julie Walters, and Christine Baranski. The three women in thefilm play best friends. Almost everything that comes out of their mouthis funny."That yoga is making my feet bigger" is an example of stuffthat they say. Mamma Mia is a musical about a girl named Sophie(AmandaSeygfried from Mean Girls) who doesn't know her father is. She's alwaysbeen curious. Her mother(the great Meryl Streep)has never told her andshe doesn't know. So Sophie is getting married in a few days. She endsup finding her Mom's diary and reads it. It turns out that she hasthree possible fathers: Sam Charmichael(Pierce Brosnan), Harry"Headbanger" Bright(Colin Firth)and Bill Anderson(Stellan Skarsgard).She writes to all three of these men and they all come. Sophie getsclose to these men and tries to figure out which one is her father. Butshe doesn't know because they could all be. That sounds kind of weirdbut it's true. Some people may think the the ending is disappointing.It is disappointing, but for a musical, Mamma Mia is reallyentertaining and fun. I think if you want to rent something, rent MammaMia.
July 30th, 2009
"Mamma Mia!" is one of those movies that looks like it was more fun forthe cast than it was for the audience. The actors look like they'rehaving a blast dancing on the shores and piers of various Greekislands, while in the meantime we sit in a theater trying to hum ourway through another poor conversion of a stage musical to the silverscreen.
The musical, based on music by Swedish pop group ABBA, was written forthe stage by Catherine Johnson, who also writes the screenplay.Bringing her vision to life is fellow Brit theatre director PhyllidaLloyd. Between them, the two haven't a lick of real movie-makingexperience and it shows. Stage minds should never be put in charge of amovie, something proved many a time, most recently Susan Stroman's "TheProducers" movie, the Mel Brooks musical she directed on stage. Thethinking of theatre minds does not grasp the scope of film and so"Mamma Mia!" looks more like a scrapbook of music montages, cheesydances and bad MTV videos.
The hit Broadway show takes some narrative suggestions in the lyrics ofseveral ABBA songs and dreams up a way to thread them together, reallyquite genius. A young girl named Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, most notablythe ditzy Karen from "Mean Girls") is getting married on a Greek islandwhere her former pop singer mother (Streep) runs a hotel. Unsure of whoher father is but curious, she invites the only three possiblecandidates in hopes she'll find out which one it is. The men are olderEnglish hunks Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and not-so- much-hunk StellanSkarsgard
The musical is diluted on the screen by a feeling that all the songsneed to be included, that the show can naturally translate when in factit's more of a showy feel-good musical and not a very visual story.Numbers are forced and the camera feels lost because it doesn't knowwhat to focus on. When it runs out of ideas, terrible things happenlike an image of Meryl Streep's face in a roulette wheel singing aboutmoney. Johnson and Lloyd between them have no creative answers andsettle with stage direction.
Even as talented as Streep is, some of the things she's asked to do inthis movie have me convinced she just took the money and said "I'll atleast have fun with this." Her talents help most in the drama betweenmother and daughter and perhaps she rubs off on Seyfried who is reallyquite nice too. Both have the best singing voices in the movie too,though Streep does have to stylize her singing a bit more to make upfor her vocal shortcomings. On the opposite of that spectrum isBrosnan, who must've worked tirelessly with a vocal coach to no avail.Clearly star power was valued more than musical talent in much of thecasting.
Most of the cast has great chemistry, but I would too if I were outthere wining and dining in Greece with all these notable actors whenthe camera wasn't rolling. Fun is easy to capture on camera — a stagemusical is not. Truthfully, it's worth the higher admission price tosee the show again or even just listen to its soundtrack than wastetime with this movie version. It's all about the music anyway.
August 3rd, 2009
it was no where near as good as Chicago or Moulin Rouge. The story justisn't that interesting. Sophie is getting married and invites the 3 menthat may be her father. Her plan is to get them all at her mother'sGreek villa and figure out which one is her dad. But when she seesthem, it is not as easy as she thought it would be.
The songs are weak, which is what makes it not so great. Sure DancingQueen is a good song, but that's about the only one I really liked. Andif I had a wish, it would be for Pierce Bronson to never sing in publicagain. He can act but if his singing was that bad, he should never havebeen cast in this part.
FINAL VERDICT: Disappointing compared to other recent musicals.
August 4th, 2009
I sat with my morning coffee this morning and laughed, cried and had awonderful time. It's been a while since a movie seemed so entertaining.Yes, not everyone had a good voice, but the casting is grand, theenthusiasm, remarkable and the enjoyment palpable.
Streep does a fantastic job as a single mom of a grown woman. Herfriends sing and dance like they had a genuinely good time, with JulieWalters being especially well-timed with the humorous bits shecontributes. She's an actress of many faces and this was one delightfulWalters. Christine Baranski's legs still stretch to her neck and shelooks fabulous.
The men…despite their middle years, are sexy buggers one and all, withtheir individual appeal shining through.
The songs are as danceable now as they were when Abba made them famousall over the world. The movie rocks and the cast is brilliant.
September 19th, 2009
Despite its implausible plot, this musical has a life of its own. It'svery engrossing in its exotic locale and all the musical numbers arelively and well done. Pierce Brosnan actually sounds like PaulMcCartney when he sings. Meryl Streep is a very good singer. ChristineBaranski stole the show. The camera loves this woman and she's stillvery sexy at 55. Julie Walters and Meryl Streep are invisible when theyshare the screen with her; especially Julie Walters – invisible.Baranski is very graceful and carries the dance scenes. Amanda Seyfriedis a beautiful young actress and she was a strong presence in the film- very lively and vivacious. I would recommend this film – it is veryupbeat and entertaining.