Unlike popular musicals such as “Hairspray” and “Chicago,” which were a hit on the big screen and onstage, “Mama Mia!” should have stayed in its original form, only to be seen on Broadway. “Mama Mia!” first appeared on the stage in 1999 in London. The ABBA-based soundtrack shapes the whole movie. Therefore the plot is quite ridiculous and scattered because the members of the hit 1970s Swedish pop group didn’t intend for their songs to be put together to create a story line. The music is infectious but not enough to make me want to watch it again when I can just listen to the soundtrack.
Leading lady, Meryl Streep almost saves this movie; almost. Streep plays Donna, a mother who runs an old hotel on a Greek island with her daughter, Sophie. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is 20-years-old and about to get married. Sophie doesn’t know her father and without her mother’s knowledge, has mailed invites to the three men in Donna's past whom Sophie suspects of being her father after she reads Donna’s scandalous journal entries.
When the men arrive on the island (played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård) they are all still interested in Donna, 20 years later, and have no idea that Sophie is searching for her father in one of them. Sophie thinks that by knowing her father, she will finally be able to get to know herself. Sophie spends time with each of the possible fathers while Donna tries to avoid them. After all, even Donna doesn’t know who the father is or that Sophie knows who these men could possibly be. Throughout the movie Donna struggles with letting her past go and also letting Sophie go.
To begin with what went wrong in this movie the director, Phyllida Lloy is not a movie director. “Mamma Mia!” is Lloyd’s first feature film and hopefully her last. She is a leading British theatre director who is praised for her work in opera. Lloyd included this style into “Mamma Mia” with short, dramatic scenes which were slightly overwhelming to watch because you didn’t have time to recover from one emotion to the other.
Mamma Mia!” is a mixture of a soap opera and an episode of “Hannah Montana.” Even though the movie is bad in many ways, it is still hard to hate. Okay, so “Mama Mia!” isn’t good movie material, but it is still entertaining. Like they lyrics in the songs, after you “see that girl,” Seyfried give an amateur performance and “watch that scene,” with Streep being overly dramatic while singing and dancing on a rooftop, you can help but laugh. It’s hilarious to see Oscar and Golden Globe winner, Streep step away from her usual sophisticated characters to knowingly making a fool of herself as she jumps on beds and slides down banisters. Seyfried was applauded for her role in “Mean Girls” as the ditsy sidekick named Karen; however, after her performance in “Mamma Mia!” I’m beginning to wondering if the blonde bimbo is the only character Seyfried can portray.
Seyfried must have been cast for her voice which at first seems to be tiny, but as the movie continues so does Seyfried’s vocal range and powerful lungs. On the other hand, Pierce Brosnan (who plays Sam, one of the three possible fathers) should never attempt to sing again. Brosnan whose known for his role as James Bond 007, has too much testosterone to be singing ABBA soundtracks. Steeps voice was surprisingly quite pleasant and she delivered her songs with much enthusiasm. Throughout the movie the chorus is catchy and the music has a good dancing beat. Some of the ABBA songs included on the soundtrack are “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Take A Chance On Me,” and “Super Trouper.”
The choreography throughout the movie is basically non-existent. Instead it looks like the director asked the actors to dance how the music made them feel. The outcome looks like three middle-aged women dancing drunk and then towards then end of the movie the audience sees what appears to be the men’s ballet in flippers on a dock; which is slightly amusing.
Anyone who enjoys melodramatic theatrical performances will enjoy this movie. Movie buffs, critics and audiences looking for the next Oscar nominations should not watch “Mamma Mia!” because it will be a waste of time; unless they can find humor in 1 hour and 48 minuets of bad choreography, some poor acting and an unrealistic plot.
Seyfried must have been cast for her voice which at first seems to be tiny, but as the movie continues so does Seyfried’s vocal range and powerful lungs. On the other hand, Pierce Brosnan (who plays Sam, one of the three possible fathers) should never attempt to sing again. Brosnan whose known for his role as James Bond 007, has too much testosterone to be singing ABBA soundtracks. Steeps voice was surprisingly quite pleasant and she delivered her songs with much enthusiasm. Throughout the movie the chorus is catchy and the music has a good dancing beat. Some of the ABBA songs included on the soundtrack are “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Take A Chance On Me,” and “Super Trouper.”
The choreography throughout the movie is basically non-existent. Instead it looks like the director asked the actors to dance how the music made them feel. The outcome looks like three middle-aged women dancing drunk and then towards then end of the movie the audience sees what appears to be the men’s ballet in flippers on a dock; which is slightly amusing.
Anyone who enjoys melodramatic theatrical performances will enjoy this movie. Movie buffs, critics and audiences looking for the next Oscar nominations should not watch “Mamma Mia!” because it will be a waste of time; unless they can find humor in 1 hour and 48 minuets of bad choreography, some poor acting and an unrealistic plot.
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